THE PLANNED strike by British Airways (BA) employees could leave hundreds of people stranded in the UK and Cyprus this Christmas.
BA in Cyprus said yesterday it would refund or rebook tickets if the strike goes ahead.
The 12 day strike, organised by the UK’s trade union, UNITE, is planned to run from December 22 to January 2, grounding 24 flights to and from the island.
BA now has less than a week to find a solution and although discussions are underway, the airline is preparing itself for a worst-case scenario by re-working flight schedules, it said yesterday.
The airline is now taking legal action to halt the 2-day strike, alleging balloting irregularities. “The airline called on (union) Unite to call off the industrial action by 1400 GMT. The union has not done so and BA is now seeking an injunction to prevent the strike going ahead,” the flag carrier’s chief executive Willie Walsh said in a statement yesterday.
Asked what arrangements BA have made for UK to Cyprus passengers if the strike goes ahead, Dimitris Ioannou, BA Press spokesman, said yesterday BA will offer to refund or rebook flights for Cypriot passengers.
“It is not yet certain the strike will go ahead. If it does, then BA will refund or rebook tickets.” This applies to passengers who have bought non-refundable tickets,” he said.
However, Ioannou was unable to confirm whether rebooked flights would take place after the strike period, or if passengers would be bought tickets on another airline.
BA currently runs daily flights from Heathrow to Larnaca and Paphos, with Christmas being a particularly busy period. There is a chance that the strike will be called off following a legal challenge by BA.
BA cabin crew, who are the highest paid in the industry, voted for the strike after a bitter row over pay and conditions. However, BA alleges that many of the ballot votes were made by staff who had accepted voluntary redundancy offers, invalidating their votes. In a statement released yesterday, Walsh said: “We are absolutely determined to do whatever we can to protect our customers from this appalling, unjustified decision from Unite. We do not want to see a million Christmases ruined.
He added “A strike is senseless and we urge Unite to draw back. We will not be reversing our changes to onboard crew numbers. They have allowed us to accept more than 1,000 requests for voluntary redundancy – and those former colleagues have left the business.
Regarding the Union’s timing of the strike, Walsh said “Unite must understand that there can be no return to the old, inefficient ways if we want to ensure long-term survival in the interests of our customers, shareholders and all our staff. “They have no justification for threatening such extreme action. It is very sad that they are seeking to use the Christmas holiday plans and family reunions of hundreds of thousands of people to try to pursue their case.”
