BA strike-will they or won't they?

As a battle continues between management and cabin crew thousands of union members have been voting in favour of a walk out. Unite, the trade union for British Airways, has announced that its strike ballot has closed in favour of strike action.

If your holiday is booked, and your travel insurance purchased before the strike dates or the intention to strike are announced you will be covered under the travel delay section of your policy.

The dispute originated back in 2009 when BA announced staffing cuts and has encouraged thousands of cabin crew to join the strike action.

A statement from British Airways issued after the news broke said “This is a time for co-operation, not confrontation. We hope our talks with Unite will bring an end to this dispute, which is what the overwhelming majority of our cabin crew want.”

British Airways cabin crew have voted for strike action for the fourth time in less than 18 months, Unite said 8 out of 10 employees who took part in the poll backed the strikes. They feel that BA needs to think again about how to regain the trust and confidence of a significant part of their cabin crew operation.

Unite are yet to announce strike dates.

On a more positive note AENA, which is the Spanish Airport Authority, has managed to reach agreement with the unions to ensure the working rights of its employees. Airport staff had threatened 22 days of industrial action, beginning in the run up to Easter and would have involved security staff, baggage handlers, and cabin crew. Union leaders said approximately 70% of their members voted to call off the industrial action.

Union members have voted to cancel the strike after receiving guarantees which include job security and working conditions. The settlement follows many hours of talks and will hopefully remain valid until December 2019.

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