British Airways management and Unite representatives are to meet today in what could signal the end of the long running dispute between the carrier and cabin crew.
The BBC reports that union members are poised to agree to terms and conditions laid out by British Airways at Heathrow, after saying they are “content” with the fruit of recent negotiations.
Should an agreement be reached today, members will be formally balloted before the summer.
Cabin crew and the airline have been at loggerheads since 2009 when management introduced a raft of cost cutting measures.
The row escalated as various striking staff were suspended and then a bitter battle about the revoking of travel perks ensued.
Today’s meeting and hopes of an end to the series of walk-outs which has cost BA around £150 million and seriously dented its global image will be a triumph for new chief executive Keith Williams, who took over the negotiating reins from Willie Walsh when he became chief executive of parent company International Consolidated Airlines.
His stock can only rise for bringing to an end an industrial drama that has seen four strike ballots and 22 days of walk outs.
by Dinah Hatch
