BA bid to halt Bank Holiday strikes

BRITISH Airways has tabled a fresh offer to its unions in a bid to stem possible August bank holiday strikes.

The carrier has offered staff an extra £1,000 if they are absent from work for no more than 16 days over a two-year period.

The payments would be in addition to the 8.5% increase over a three-year period.

Both the GMB and the T&G, whose ballot is due in tomorrow, claimed it was a step in the right direction.

T&G national aviation secretary Brendan Gold said: “The company is moving in the right direction but the new money on the table is linked to certain conditions, so we will need to consider how we can now move forward.”

Tackling high absenteeism is part of BA’s £300 million cost saving target announced earlier this year.