British Airways' mixed fleet cabin crew are preparing for a two-week strike at the start of July after the airline failed to accept the Unite union's "final compromise position" by Friday's deadline, the Telegraph reported.
The news comes just days after the ongoing dispute over pay and benefits between the airline and mixed fleet members of its Unite union appeared to be coming to an end.
The planned walkout will begin at 12:01 a.m. July 1 and continue through 11:59 p.m. July 16.
According to the Telegraph, the union also announced it will pursue legal action against British Airways for allegedly blacklisting more than 1,400 cabin crew members who took previous strike action.
"A resolution to this long-running dispute was within the grasp of British Airways, but instead of grabbing that opportunity, bosses rebuffed it," Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said via the Telegraph. "It now means British Airways faces an entirely avoidable two-week strike and prolonged legal action on behalf of over 1,400 mixed cabin crew."
"Unite believes the divisive way British Airways has targeted striking members of cabin crew is unlawful and amounts to blacklisting."
Beckett urged airline bosses to "come to their senses and think again."
Unite has already organized 26 days of walkouts this year, and next month's staged strike would add to that count significantly. But the union had only conducted two-, three- and four-day walkouts before, never as long as two weeks.
A spokesman for British Airways reassured travelers that their flights would be unaffected by any planned strike.
"As for previous periods when Unite called strikes of mixed fleet cabin crew, we will fly all our customers to their destinations," said the spokesman via the Telegraph.
"This proposed strike action is extreme and completely unnecessary. We had reached a deal on pay, which Unite agreed was acceptable," the carrier added. "We urge Unite to let its members vote on the pay proposals."
[READMORE] READ MORE: Thousands Forced to Fly Without Luggage from Heathrow [/READMORE]
The saga's latest episode comes at a tumultuous time for the U.K.'s largest airline. An IT failure last month forced the carrier to cancel hundreds of flights at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, stranding thousands of passengers.
The CEO of the airline's parent International Airlines Group (IAG), Willie Walsh, estimates the incident will cost the company in excess of $102 million, according to Reuters.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
