British Airways was accused by the Unite union of making “misleading statements” while talks at the conciliation service Acas aimed at averting a Christmas cabin crew strike were ongoing yesterday.
The warning came after the airline and Unite agreed to an embargo on comments as talks aimed at resolving the ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew dispute got underway at Acas.
Despite the agreement at the beginning of the talks, the union claimed that the airline issued a statement quoting misleading pay figures.
BA chief executive Alex Cruz was reported by The Independent as describing pay in the mixed fleet as “competitive”. The airline published figures indicating that full-time staff earn between £21,000 and £27,000 a year.
“We are seeking to improve this package and we encourage Unite to start a positive dialogue with us about our proposals,” said Cruz.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “It is deeply disappointing that British Airways has put out misleading commentary to the media and broken an agreed embargo on comments while negotiations are ongoing.
“Unite is focused on trying to achieve a negotiated outcome for our members many of whom are young men and woman who have been under paid for years. Unite has consistently raised the issue of ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew pay over a number of months, yet British Airways has refused to listen.
“The wages British Airways quote are misleading, new entrants to ‘mixed fleet’ are paid a basic of £12,192 per annum. The food allowance that pilots receive is 15% more than that of the young women and men who make up ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew.
“We implore British Airways to drop its aggressive stance, to stop with the misleading commentary and genuinely negotiate. That is the only way to reach a resolution to this dispute.”
BA said in an updated statement yesterday lunchtime: “Following the announcement on Friday by the trade union Unite that it intends to hold industrial action involving one of our five cabin crew fleets on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, we have spent the weekend reviewing our contingency plans.
“We are planning to run a full schedule on Christmas Day and Boxing Day despite the threatened industrial action. British Airways remains fully committed to finding a solution to this issue. Thank you for your support and understanding.”
Meanwhile, talks will also be held at Acas today to try to resolve a threatened strike on Friday and Saturday by Unite members employed by Swissport as baggage handlers and ground staff at 18 airports across the UK.
Members of the Professional Pilots Union at Virgin Atlantic plan to start a “work to contract” action from Friday in a row over union recognition.
The airline has vowed to ensure its flying programme remains unaffected during the threatened work to rule by pilots.