LONDON – LONDON (AP) — Thousands of British Airways cabin crew looked set to go on strike at midnight after talks between their union and the airline ended in confusion.
But the union made a last-minute offer Sunday to stop the walkout if the airline reinstates travel perks stripped from staff who took place in earlier strikes.
Tony Woodley, joint leader of the Unite union, said his message to BA chief executive Willie Walsh was "Willie, turn round and reinstate our people's travel without the unnecessary vindictive removal of their service and this union will call off tonight's strike."
British Airways' response was cool. In a statement, the airline said it was "disappointed that Tony Woodley has taken to negotiation through the media" rather than mediators.
BA said it had "already offered to reinstate travel concessions to cabin crew once all elements of our offer have been implemented."
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.
Earlier, Woodley had said there was no chance of resuming negotiations before the strike deadline after the chaotic breakup of talks on Saturday. Those discussions, at the offices of a mediation service, ended abruptly when left-wing protesters broke into the building.
Woodley said the talks had made "fantastic progress" and an agreement was close.
"We've got an agreement on the business issues in principle," he said.
The airline says it plans to operate most of its flights during the strike, including more than half of flights from London's Heathrow airport and all scheduled services at Gatwick.
While the two sides are close to agreement on many issues, mistrust and bitterness have made a deal elusive. Woodley accused BA of having a "petty, vindictive" attitude after it revoked strikers' low-cost travel — a cherished cabin-crew perk — and took disciplinary action against striking workers.
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."
Woodley said the Twitter dispute was a diversion from the important issues at stake.
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.
The airline's combative Irish CEO has repeatedly warned that contentious changes to work practices, including fewer staff on long-haul flights and a yearlong pay freeze, are necessary for BA to survive.
The company has been hit hard by the financial downturn because of its heavy reliance on premium fare passengers on the trans-Atlantic route. As many leisure and business travelers seek lower cost options, there are fears that its core business will never fully recover.
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Online:
http://www.britishairways.com/
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