British Airways cabin crew have voted for further strikes that could disrupt the Easter holiday and the royal wedding.
The Unite union, which represents many of BA flight attendants have said the strike showed ‘determination’ to continue this long running dispute.
No dates have been named, however the union have to strike once within 28 days and will have to provide at least seven day’s notice before a walk out.
In the potential firing line for the strike is the Easter break and the May half-term holiday, with the risk of action going will into July. Anyone flying in for the wedding could also see disruptions. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has already warned families: ‘Don’t go on holiday.’
Mr McCluskey has met BA chief executive Keith Williams, saying: ‘We continue to be in discussions with the company to find a solution to this long-running dispute.’ Even with this latest strike vote secured, he still hopes fresh talks will resolve this on-going dispute.
The timing of this strike will leave thousands of holidaymakers unsure of travelling, a tactic aimed at hitting BA where its hurts – the school holiday bookings.
A BA spokesman said: ‘This is a time for cooperation, not confrontation.
‘We hope talks will bring an end to this dispute, which is what the overwhelming majority of our cabin crew want.’
The airline has however insisted that BA have a contingency plan in place for such strikes and they will ‘keep BA flying’.
Bob Atkinson, a travel expert at travelsupermarket.com, advised passengers to get up-to-date contact information for airlines and take out travel insurance with a strike clause in case of disruption.
The latest vote – the fourth official ballot in two years – follows a re-ballot of a poll in January which the airline had challenged.
The row started almost two years ago over cost-cutting. BA cabin crew carried out 22 days of strikes last year which cost the airline more than £150million.
