BA seeks court injunction to halt August strike by pilots

BRITISH Airways was today seeking a court injunction to halt industrial action by its pilots in a dispute over pay.

Members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) voted by more than nine to one for action. A walkout could happen as soon as August 6 unless the High Court vetoes it.

BA said today: “We are very disappointed that Balpa has chosen to threaten the travel plans of thousands of our customers, over the summer holidays, with possible strike action.

“We remain open to working with Balpa to reach an agreement, which we have been doing since December.”

“Our proposed pay offer of 11.5% over three years is fair, and by contrast to Balpa, the Unite and GMB trade unions, which represent nearly 90% of all British Airways colleagues, have already recommended the same pay offer to their members.” BA operates at 14 UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, and the vast majority of the airline’s pilots are in Balpa.

The union has not announced what action it would take but said further negotiations were on hold because of the BA’s legal move.

Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said: “This strong result demonstrates the resolve of BA pilots, and shows BA that it must table a sensible improved offer if a strike is to be averted.”

He added: “We do not wish to inconvenience our customers which is why we have tried to resolve this matter through negotiation starting last November — it is BA who has regrettably chosen to drag this out into the summer months.”

Meanwhile, Unite announced that over 90 firefighters and fire and rescue staff at Heathrow have voted for strike action in a separate dispute over pay. They will join over 4,000 Heathrow workers in strikes planned next month.