British Airways cabin crew announce further strike dates

AFP - British Airways cabin crew are to stage fresh strikes in May and June, following industrial action which brought misery to travellers earlier this year, the Unite union said Monday.

Workers will stage four five-day strikes from May 18-22, May 24-28, May 30-June 3 and June 5-9, following action in March in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions, the union said.

The announcement came after workers overwhelmingly rejected a BA offer aimed at heading off new action.

"Cabin crew are left with no choice but to take further strike action," said Unite's joint bosses Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley, adding they were "dismayed" that BA had rejected an approach by the union at the weekend.

They added: "There can be no industrial peace without meaningful negotiations and while management victimises trade unionists and uses disciplinary procedures in a witch-hunt."

Talks between BA and Unite, Britain's largest trade union, broke down on the eve of a first wave of strikes on March 20.

The strikes centre on what the union says is BA chief executive Willie Walsh's "slash and burn strategy" to cut costs, which Unite claims would lead to a two-tier workforce and damage standards of customer service.