BA staff vote for pay cut, not strikes

The risk of summer disruption to British Airways services eased this afternoon as thousands of staff voted to take a pay cut.

The Unite union which represents cabin crew said members would offer to take a 2.6 per cent cut this year and a pay freeze until 2011.

The company has announced a record annual loss of £401 million and flew 17.2 per cent fewer passengers last month. During the past year the company has already cut 2,500 jobs.

It plans to trim up to £300 million from the wages bill over the next two years.

BA is desperate to avoid any suggestion of strikes or industrial action during the peak summer holiday season and is offering staff a range of options including voluntary redundancies, part-time working or lengthy unpaid leave.

The company and the unions are in talks at conciliation service Acas, although union bosses fear BA is playing "hard ball".

A major cut in the "excessive" stacking of aircraft in the skies around Heathrow was demanded today by the cross-party Commons transport committee in return for a third runway.