The
biggest union at British Airways (BA) is to ballot baggage handlers and
check-in staff in a dispute over pay, increasing the threat of travel chaos
later this summer.
The
Transport and General Workers’ Union (T&G) said more than 8,000 workers
will vote over the next few weeks after talks failed to resolve the row.
Members
of the GMB union at BA are already being asked to support a campaign of
industrial action.
The
T&G said talks at the conciliation service Acas had not made enough
progress to break the deadlock, adding that any chance of success had been
"stymied" by BA insisting on an inflation-only deal.
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The
ballot was announced after the airline wrote to thousands of workers earlier in
the week warning that industrial action would "seriously damage" the
company.