| CATEGORY: NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS SECTOR: TRAVEL & LEISURE |
British Airways starts legal action against strike |
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Wed 16 Dec 2009
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LONDON (SHARECAST) - British Airways has started legal action to halt a 12-day strike planned by cabin crew over Christmas.
Prime minister Gordon Brown admitted he is worried by the strike prospect and called on both sides to resolve the dispute.
“I know there is a legal challenge today in the courts and we have got to see what happens as a result of that, but I hope we will see the talks that are necessary so that people can have a strike-free and trouble-free Christmas,” the prime minister said in a radio interview.
Earlier, British Airways had confirmed it has sought an injunction to stop the walk-out over Christmas after a deadline yesterday passed.
"The airline called on Unite to call off the industrial action by 2pm. The union has not done so and BA is now seeking an injunction to prevent the strike going ahead," the flag carrier's chief executive Willie Walsh said in a statement last night.
The airline claims irregularities in the way the strike ballot was handled make it invalid. It claims staff who have left the company or are leaving were balloted along with existing employees, which it says is a legal breach.
The airline wants three quarters of its crew to accept pay rises of between 2% and 7% this year and a pay freeze in 2010. BA also wants 3,000 staff to switch to part-time working and onboard crewing levels reduced from 15 to 14 on long-haul flights from Heathrow.
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