Pilot strike threat drags on

Uncertainty still surrounded the threatened British Airways pilots’ strike this morning (Monday) after talks at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) which were planned to end on Friday were extended to today.

The talks began on Wednesday after BA lost a High Court challenge against the legality of the strike ballot called by the pilots’ union BALPA. The airline said the union had agreed to the talks' extension.

Any strike is subject to those planning to take action having to give 14 days’ notice of intent. Extending the talks to today means the earliest date a strike could now begin is a fortnight tomorrow, Tuesday 20 August.

After last week’s court case, BALPA general secretary Brian Strutton noted BA’s claim had already been dismissed once “but they (BA) insisted on wasting more time in pressing it to an appeal”.

The dispute follows a vote by nearly 4,000 BA pilots belonging to BALPA rejecting the airline’s latest pay offer, which BA says is worth 11.5% over three years. Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA parent company IAG, said it was “a fair deal”.

Last week’s confusion was heightened by parallel strike threats by airport staff, which disrupted flights at the weekend (see story in this issue).

www.britishairways.com

www.balpa.org

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