The results of a British Airways cabin crew ballot on whether to strike will be announced this afternoon, with reports suggesting a yes vote could mean a 10-day stretch of action.
The union Unite has balloted its 12,000 members over industrial action following management changes to pay and conditions.
The union has pledged that it will not allow the strike, which if it goes ahead will start March 1 at the earliest, to affect the Easter holiday plans of thousands of Brits. However, some crew writing online and commenting on the situation suggest that there is a plan to “play dirty” and strike around the long Easter weekend, causing chaos as services are backed up.
According to an online poll by Unite, some two thirds of cabin crew want ten days of action so that the message would be put across of disgruntlement at changes in salaries and staffing levels.
Last week it was revealed that BA chief executive Willie Walsh had plans up his sleeve to draft 1000 pilots into cabin crew roles as they already had the knowledge and safety clearance necessary to do the job, should regular cabin crew go ahead with the strike.
By Dinah Hatch
