Cabin Crew at British Airways Vote for Christmas Strike

Millions of British Airways passengers have had their Christmas holiday travel plans scuppered after cabin crew staff voted in favour of a strike over BA's plans to cut jobs and change employment contracts.

The trade union released a statement today stating that 93 percent of the 13,000 cabin crew at BA voted in favour of industrial action. The strikes are planned to stretch through one of the busiest periods of the year for travel, starting on the 22nd December and lasting until the 2nd January.

The strikes follow a long dispute between the aviation unions and BA over its decision to cut costs in order to survive in a dilapidated industry which has seen a collapse in passenger numbers. Union leaders claim that cabin crew are disappointed over suggested changes to work contracts and BA’s plans for a two-year pay freeze.

BA chief, Mr Walsh said that "Everyone knows that British Airways is in major financial difficulty, so reducing our costs is absolutely essential in beginning to heading back towards profitability and long-term survival."

British Airways recorded a pre-tax loss of over £401,000,000 last year and have stated that they're loosing over £1.6m a day. The company has also announced today that the deficit in its pension fund has doubled to £3.7 billion!

It should be noted that BA cabin crew are paid twice as much as their counterparts on Virgin Atlantic.

Job Centre Vacancies says: This decision to strike will cause a huge amount of disruption over the festive period but it may force BA's hand in negotiating a different deal should future talks take place.

Next news article: Cleaners More Valuable That Top City Bankers