British Airways, Unite ready to resume talks to avert strikes

British Airways and the Unite union said on Friday they were willing to hold talks as early as today to avert the threat of further strike action by cabin crew in a dispute over pay and conditions.                                           
 

Unite, which represents 90% of BA's 12,000 cabin crew, planned to start balloting members next Tuesday over possible walkouts beginning on Aug 3.                                           

The union had given BA until the start of the ballot period to demonstrate it was willing to find a solution.                            
 

A BA spokesperson told Reuters the airline was "available for talks" and it was a possibility they could take place between now and Tuesday.                                           
 

A Unite spokesperson responded by saying the union is prepared to engage "as soon as is humanly possible. We are always available for talks at any time and any place. We would very much hope we could be back in talks very soon."                                           

The two sides have made headway on pay and crewing levels, but Unite said it wanted the reinstatement of travel allowances removed from striking crew and the withdrawal of all disciplinary action against its members.                                            
 

A third sticking point is BA's use of temporary cabin crew and employees from other areas within the company to staff flights during previous strikes.