BA faces strike over wildcat stewards

British Airways faces the prospect of an official strike after deciding three senior shop stewards accused of inciting a wildcat walkout in the summer must face disciplinary hearings.

The airline has decided the men have "a case to answer" over their involvement in a walkout prompted by the dismissal of more than 700 workers at Gate Gourmet, which supplies BA with in-flight meals.

The three union officials, who represent baggage handlers at Heathrow, could be dismissed if the disciplinary process finds them guilty of misconduct. The airline has been warned privately that if the men were sacked, the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) would ballot members on a strike.

One union source said: "The message coming back from our members is that if they sack them, we will have to have official industrial action. We are attempting to ensure that BA understands all the ramifications of what it is putting three shops stewards through."

The situation comes at a highly sensitive time for the airline. BA needs union co-operation in dealing with a £1bn shortfall in its pension fund. Willie Walsh, the company's new chief executive, is also determined to introduce new working practices at Terminal Five, to which all BA operations at Heathrow will transfer in 2008. The introduction of new technology at T5 is expected to result in job losses among one-third of the 3,000 BA check-in staff at the airport.

One union official said there was concern among employees that the move to T5 would have a "dramatic" impact on jobs.

Although Mr Walsh has promised there will be no compulsory redundancies, some union officials fear he may want to confront the T&G now over the Gate Gourmet affair to "soften it up" for T5 productivity talks.

Last month Gate Gourmet workers decided overwhelmingly to accept proposals to end their dispute. Of the 700 dismissed some 144 will not be taken back and will be made compulsorily redundant. The rest will either take voluntary severance or be taken back by the company. The union is seeking to persuade the 144 sacked workers to accept the terms.

A spokesman for BA yesterday confirmed that disciplinary action against the three employees had begun, but said it would be "inappropriate" to comment while they were under way.