BA cabin crew have voted eight to one in favour of strike action, the trade union Unite saying how determined its members are to fight ‘anti-union’ measures.
The vote in favour of further action, the fourth in two years raises the prospect of a fresh round of strikes this Easter although no dates have been announced and talks continue.
The dispute, which started over a disagreement of new rosters, has now become over how Unite members who went on strike for 22 days list year, were treated by the airline including the rescinding of travel perks.
Announcing the result of the ballot today, Len McCluskey, Unite general secretary, said: “This vote shows that cabin crew remain determined to win justice.
“We urge BA’s boardroom to see this as a clear message that they must think again about how to regain the trust and confidence of a significant part of their cabin crew operation. We continue to be in discussions with the company to find a solution to this long-running dispute.”
Unite said of the just under 10,000 crew polled, 83% of the 6,981, a turn out of just over 70%, who returned valid voting papers voted yes to strike action. BA employs 13,000 crew in total, meaning strikes are supported by around 43% of employees.
In a statement BA said: “We began talks with Unite earlier this month, and those talks are continuing. We hope they will bring an end to this dispute, which is what the overwhelming majority of our cabin crew want.”
BA has previously said it would be well prepared for any further strikes, with only Heathrow flights expected to be disrupted, and most of its short-haul services flying as normal.
Unite now has 28 days to announce the dates of any strikes before it must ballot again. The union must give the airline a week’s notice of any walk out.