Possible strike of British Airways cabin crew flying out of Heathrow

BRITISH AIRWAYS crew flying out of Heathrow Airport have overwhelmingly given a strike mandate to their union Unite after rejecting a 2 per cent pay offer and the strike is due to take place sometime after December 21.

Currently there is no confirmation of the actual dates or indeed the duration of the strike but to have made this decision so close to Christmas must be seen as very worrying for the management of the airline who Unite would like to see return to the negotiating table.

The major problem arises with regards to staff employed after 2010 who were enticed to join the flight crew of the airline with expected wages of between £21,000 (€25,000) and £25,000 (€30,000) when in reality their basic wages turned out to be £12,000 (€14,500) plus a £3 (€3.6) an hour flight bonus.

According to the union, staff are taking on second jobs, working whilst ill and many are suffering from depression and stress because of their financial position which is particularly galling as the BA parent IAG saw its profits rise by 64 per cent in the last year.