BA summer strikes

Heathrow airport faces a summer of strikes after hundreds of British Airways (BA) workers voted for industrial action.

The GMB Union says a total of 95% of those who voted said they were prepared to strike, on a turnout of more than 80%.  No dates for industrial action were given but are likely to be during the peak summer holiday period.  What percentage of public-facing staff belong to the union is not known, nor the BA contingency plans at this stage.

BA operates about 600 flights a day from Heathrow.

The dispute is over BA’s refusal to reinstate 10% pay which was docked during the pandemic.

The airline strikes, should they go ahead in the summer, are only affecting Heathrow, not Gatwick nor London City.  CityFlyer flights from other UK airports should not be affected but those flying into Heathrow are likely to be impacted.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said:” Passengers must not be made to bear the brunt of these strikes. British Airways should make the necessary arrangements to avoid a raft of hugely disruptive last-minute cancellations”.

“Strikes by airline staff are within the airline’s control because it is negotiating with its staff, so if your flight is delayed or cancelled then you’ll likely be entitled to compensation”.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “This is obviously a matter for British Airways and the unions, and we would strongly encourage both to come together to find a settlement”.

“We don’t want to see any further disruption for passengers. Strike action would only add to the misery being faced by passengers”.

“DfT will obviously work closely to look at what contingency measures BA could put in place”.

www.ba.com

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