BA cabin crew call Christmas strike

British Airways cabin crew have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a 12 day strike from December 22 over controversial new working practices.

The strike is being led by the Unite union, and received backing from 92.5 per cent of voters, with an 80 per cent voter turnout. Unite says that it is hopeful of holding talks with BA to head off the strike, which could potentially cripple the airline during one of its busiest seasons.

BA said that it was “extremely disappointed” with the action proposed by Unite, adding that: “A 12 day strike would be completely unjustified and a huge overreaction to the modest changes we have announced for cabin crew which are intended to help us recover from record financial losses.”