BA cabin crew union says no new talks planned with airline, strike to go ahead

BA strikes set to go ahead after talks founder

LONDON — The union representing British Airways cabin crew said no new talks with the airline were scheduled and a series of planned strikes will begin Monday.

Tony Woodley of the Unite union said Sunday there was no chance of resuming negotiations before the strike deadline after a “catastrophic” breakdown in talks.

Those discussions Saturday at the offices of a mediation service ended abruptly when protesters broke into the building.

Earlier Sunday, BA chief executive Willie Walsh said he was hopeful the walkouts could be averted.

BA cabin crew are due to hold a series of strikes totaling 15 days in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and working conditions. The first of the walkouts is due to last five days starting Monday.

The dispute has been marked by accusations of bad faith on both sides. Woodley has accused BA of having a “petty, vindictive” attitude. Walsh said the strikes were the fault of “a tiny minority who are clearly out of touch with reality.”

Walsh also expressed anger that one of the union’s leaders, Derek Simpson, had been posting updates on Saturday’s talks on Twitter.

“I was shocked and angry,” he told the BBC.

“When I found out that he was actually sending his version of events to the wider audience, you know that really did undermine my confidence in their desire to resolve this issue.”

The strikes would bring more financial hardship to BA, which posted a record annual loss of 425 million pounds ($611 million) on Friday.

Two cabin crew walkouts over seven days in March cost BA an estimated 45 million pounds in canceled flights and contingency provisions. The airline also has been hit by the sporadic closure of European air space because of ash from Iceland’s erupting volcano.

Walsh said BA planned to operate most of its flights during the strike.

Online:

www.britishairways.com/