British Airways Cabin Crew Go On Strike

San Francisco (THEWILL) - British Airways cabin crew have called an industrial action to protest job losses and staff welfare.

The Union said the “strike will take place over 12 days from December 22,” warning that it will ‘disrupt the travel plans of thousands of people.”

92 percent of staff polled voted in favour of the action, which caused BA shares to fall slightly on Monday in London.

British Airways is proposing a pay hike of between 2 and 7 percent to three quarters of it crew this year and wants 3000 staff to switch from fulltime to part-time workers.

The carrier could lose about 50 million pounds sterling as a result of the strike, according to analysts.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh has called the strike senseless and urged the union to cancel.

“The strike is senseless and we urge Unite to draw back. We will not be reversing our changes to onboard crew numbers. Unite must understand that there can be no return to the old, inefficient ways if we want to ensure long-term survival,” he urged.

Continuing he said, “Unite’s decision will damage BA in the short-term and could damage future viability of the airline.”

BA and Iberia announced a merger deal in November, this year and hopes to complete it by the end of 2010.