British Airways strike: Pilot walkout could be called off, union says

‘We urge BA to join us to discuss the new proposal’

British Airways has warned of job losses due to the coronavirus outbreak (EPA)

Next week’s British Airways pilot strikes could be cancelled, the union has said.

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said it could call off planned industrial action on 9 and 10 September if the airline agrees to come back to the negotiating table.

Balpa is proposing a new deal, which it has sent to BA CEO Alex Cruz ahead of the 48-hour walkout.

Balpa general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: “Our members’ resolve is very strong and they remain very angry with BA, but they also want to leave no stone unturned in trying to find a resolution to their dispute.

“Avoiding strike action and agreeing a deal with their pilots surely must be the desired outcome for British Airways.

“We urge BA to join us to discuss the new proposal – which shows pilots are willing to be flexible but still stand united in getting a better deal.”

The union has made it clear the strikes will still go ahead if the airline “continues to refuse meaningful discussions”.

A British Airways spokesperson told The Independent: “We continue to be available for constructive talks, on the basis that there are no pre-conditions to those talks.”

However, according to the airline it won’t change the fact that the holidays and travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers have been ruined by Balpa’s actions.

The strikes were voted for by 93 per cent of Balpa’s BA members in a long-running dispute over pay, after members rejected the airline’s offer of an 11.5 per cent pay rise spread over three years.

British Airways branded the walkout “reckless” and “unjustifiable”, but has since come under scrutiny for failing to provide passengers on flights affected by the strikes with viable alternatives.

Hundreds of flights between 8 and 12 September have been grounded as a result of the strike. If BA cannot provide an alternative departure on the same day, disrupted passengers are entitled under EU law to be booked on the closest available alternative flight, even if it is with another airline.

However, some passengers were told “this was not BA policy”.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has since demanded an explanation from British Airways about its apparent non-compliance with rules around European air passenger rights.

Richard Stephenson, director at the CAA, said: “Passengers who have seen their flights cancelled should be offered the choice of reimbursement for cancelled flights or alternate travel arrangements under comparable conditions at the earliest opportunity which includes flights on other airlines.

“We also expect airlines to proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are cancelled.”