Unite to ballot BA cabin crew again, with Easter strike likely

British Airways faces industrial action at Easter if unions win a new ballot which will open on January 25.

Union Unite was forced to abandon a strike over Christmas after the High Court ruled that it had illegally balloted workers who had accepted voluntary redundancy.

Now the union plans to ballot all 13,000 cabin crew again, a process which is expected to take about four weeks.

Workers could then strike in the airline’s next busiest period, which would be the Easter bank holiday (3-5 April).

Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Unite, said: “We have told management all along that this dispute, and the damage it does to BA’s prospects, can only finally be resolved through negotiation.

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“That remains our position, and I hope the company will make the best use of the time available before the ballot closes.”

The Telegraph reported that BA said yesterday it was “saddened but not surprised” by Unite’s decision to call another ballot, adding that it remained open to talks.