Union promises to avoid BA strike over Easter

Unite said it will not call strikes over the Easter holiday (PA)

British Airways cabin crew have ruled out taking strike action over Easter in their long-running row over jobs and working conditions, it was announced today.

Unite said it will not call strikes over the Easter holiday if its members support industrial action in a ballot which starts next week.

The ballot result will be known on February 22, which had raised the threat of strikes over the busy Easter holidays.

Unite is re-balloting its 12,000 BA cabin crew members after a previous ballot was ruled unlawful.

The union planned a 12-day strike over Christmas after a huge 9-1 vote in favour of industrial action.

Len McCluskey, Unite's assistant general secretary, said: "It was never the intention of Unite and its BA cabin crew membership to call industrial action over Easter.

"I want to make it abundantly clear that, if industrial action receives the required mandate from the members and strike action is made necessary by continuing management intransigence, we will not call such action over the Easter holiday period.

"We are making this announcement now so families can plan their travel arrangements in confidence.

"It remains our hope that this dispute can be resolved through negotiation, without the need for strikes at any time at all.

"But this can only happen if BA management wake up and realise that treating their greatest asset - skilled and professional employees - as enemies is the road to ruin. You can't fly planes on management machismo."

A BA spokesman said: "According to Unite's ballot timetable, it is threatening the travel plans of families and business people from March 1. Assurances about an unspecified Easter holiday period will be of little comfort to them."