UK airports operator, union hold talks to avert strike at Britain’s major airports

BAA, union hold talks to avert airports strike

LONDON — Britain’s airports operator and a leading union are holding talks Monday in an attempt to avert strikes that could close the country’s major airports in peak vacation season later this month.

Both sides were optimistic ahead of the meeting to be brokered by the government’s conciliation service, but neither made any promises in a dispute over pay.

BAA has said it will have to shut down its six airports — including Heathrow, Stansted and Edinburgh — if the walkout goes ahead because the striking workers include security staff, engineers and firefighters.

The closures would affect around 300,000 passengers and 2,500 flights each day.

Unite has to give seven days notice of any industrial action, so the earliest a walkout could begin is Aug. 23.

Analysts speculate the Unite union will select the August bank holiday weekend — the last weekend of the month — to maximize disruption if a deal is not reached.

The move is unlikely to endear BAA’s staff to the public in a year that’s already seen significant travel chaos thanks to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud and a series of rolling British Airways strikes.

“We hope that we can quickly conclude an agreement, in the interests of the travelling public, our airlines and our staff, the majority of whom did not vote for a strike.” BAA, which is owned by Spain’s Grupo Ferrovial SA, said in a statement.

The Unite union announced last week that workers had voted in favor of a walkout. But BAA argues that the union’s ballot did not provide a clear mandate for strike action because only around half the eligible workers voted — 74.1 percent of the 3,054 staff who voted said yes to strike action, but a total of 6,185 workers were balloted.

Workers are protesting a 1 percent pay raise this year after they accepted a salary freeze and changes to their pension program last year. BAA has offered an additional 0.5 percent, but that is conditional on changes to sick leave.

Meanwhile, thousands of British Airways PLC check-in workers and other ground staff will start voting on Monday on whether to accept savings and job cuts as part of the loss-making airline’s plans to cut costs.

The GMB and Unite unions have reached agreement in principle with BA regarding staffing and working arrangements and will recommend that around 3,000 workers accept the deal, which involves 500 voluntary job losses and a one-year pay freeze.

BA’s long-running BA dispute with its cabin crew over pay and working conditions — that resulted in the rolling walkouts in the spring — remains deadlocked. Further talks are expected this week, but with little sign of a breakthrough.