JET CREWS IN BA WALKOUT

Flights hit by 16-day pay strike

HOLIDAYMAKERS faced delays yesterday as British Airways crews began a 16-day walkout.

BA cabin staff based at the UK’s busiest airport staged the strike in a long-running pay dispute.

Members of Unite walked out from midnight at Heathrow amid union claims that they are on “poverty pay”.

BA chiefs raced to plug the gap by borrowing aircraft and crew from partners Qatar Airways.

They said they believe the move will mean BA can continue to operate most of its flights.

The airline said: “We will operate 99.5% of our schedule. Our oneworld partner Qatar Airways will be operating a small number of short-haul flights on our behalf.

“We have merged a very small number of Heathrow long-haul services and all customers affected have been notified over the past week.” The clash – which has led to 26 days of strikes since January – is over pay gaps between recently hired “mixed fleet” crew and regular cabin crew.

BA said it had reached a deal with Unite and staff would be paid “in line with cabin crew at competitor airlines”. It added: “They should call off this unnecessary strike and allow their members to vote on the pay increase.”

But the union has accused BA of threatening sanctions against crew taking industrial action.

Unite is already pursuing legal action on behalf of about 1,400 workers it says were punished for going on strike earlier this year.

The union’s Oliver Richardson said: “Vindictive threats from British Airways amount to corporate bullying from an airline more interested in punishing workers on poverty pay than addressing why cabin crew have been striking. “Unite believes it is tantamount to a blacklisting operation and that it is unlawful.” He added: “That British Airways is seeking to lease aircraft from an airline found to have breached international standards on labour and human rights, is doubly shameful. “For an airline, which was once proud to call itself the ‘world’s favourite’, to behave in such a way and treat its staff with such contempt shows how far British Airways has fallen from grace. “We call on British Airways to drop the threats and drop the sanctions and resolve this longrunning dispute.”