British Airways passengers face Christmas misery as 2,500 cabin crew vote to strike
UNION militants were last night accused of trying to cancel Christmas as British Airways staff became the latest to threaten a crippling strike.
More than 2,500 cabin crew members of Unite said they could walk out from December 21st unless bosses up a pay offer. A decision is due before the weekend.
The move threatens to trigger holiday chaos as the fleet work on 60 short and long-haul flights – such as services to Paris and Dubai.
It came with 2,242 Southern Railways services cancelled for a second successive day over a bitter feud with train drivers.
Post Office workers at 300 of the country’s biggest sites are set to stage their own five-day walk-out - up until Christmas Eve – next week.
Tory backbencher Luke Hall stormed: “These socialist scrooges are determined to ruin Christmas. For the stake of ordinary working people across the country, Labour’s union paymasters must call off these reckless strikes and end this Christmas chaos.”
He told the Sun: “This is a sign of what life under Jeremy Corbyn would be like. Unions would rule the roost, and militants would rule the unions.”
In the Commons, Theresa May blasted Jeremy Corbyn and demanded the arch leftie ask Aslef – the train drivers union which donates to the party - to call off the crippling action on Southern Railways.
Talks between Aslef and bosses at Southern Railways owner Govia ended at ACAS without any resolution last night. Services are expected to run today –but with severe disruption as the drivers are operating an overtime ban.
A third 24 hour walkout is then due to begin again on Friday.
The RMT – also in dispute with Southern – claimed it was “banned” from yesterday’s ACAS talks.
The cabin crew threat at BA comes five years after a bitter industrial dispute at the airline as it tried to cut 1,700 jobs and freeze pay. The dispute cost the airline £150 million.
The new dispute centres on the so-called ‘mixed fleet’ hired on new terms. The union claims their starting salary can be as low as £12,000 and some are forced to sleep in their car before work as pay is so bad. The crew have rejected a 2 per cent pay offer.
Unite regional officer Matt Smith said 79 per cent of the new crew had backed action. He said: “Our members have overwhelmingly voted for strike action because British Airways’ pay rates are indefensible and the crew are at breaking point.”
BA said it was “extremely disappointed”. A spokesman said: “We remain focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.”
No.10 last night: “We are focused on those who bear the pain of these strikes and the people who are going to be affected in different ways.”
Tory MP Charlie Elphicke said: “It’s shameful that militant trades unions are trying to cancel Christmas.
“We need a crack down with tougher laws to stop unions wrecking the lives of the British people.”
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