The prospect of travel misery over the August bank holiday drew closer yesterday as British Airways' biggest union voted to join a strike, while Eurostar workers backed parallel industrial action in London and Kent.
Some 8,300 members of the Transport & General Workers' union at BA overwhelmingly endorsed a 24-hour walkout next Friday in protest at a three-year pay offer worth 8.5%.
Their vote followed a narrow strike vote last week from the smaller GMB union. The T&G's chief negotiator, Brendan Gold, told a news conference at the union's head office that his members were angry about pay and he hoped the vote in favour of strikes would send a "clear message" to BA.
"We want to avert industrial action but we are giving clear notice of the determination of our members," he said.
He said passengers were justified in being concerned about their travel plans. "We don't want to disrupt people's holidays. We are determined to reach a settlement."
But BA accused the T&G of failing to consult its members about a revised offer tabled on Tuesday which offered staff a £1,000 bonus if they cut back on their sick leave.
Mike Street, BA's director of operations, urged both unions to hold fresh ballots on the new offer. "This vote was based on an offer which has since been substantially improved. It would be absurd for the unions to go ahead with strikes on the basis of an old offer."
The T&G's ballot had a turnout of 60%. A strike was supported by two-thirds of check-in, sales and administrative staff, plus 84% of baggage handlers, drivers and loaders. The dispute involves BA's ground staff at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It could bring the airline to a near-total standstill and would cause disruption for days, leaving aircraft, cabin crew and pilots in the wrong places.
More than 100,000 people have reservations to travel with BA each day over the bank holiday weekend. Senior BA executives acknowledge the airline can ill afford a dispute against a backdrop of record fuel prices and fierce price competition.
Travellers opting for trains could also encounter industrial action following a strike vote by 160 of Eurostar's customer service staff at Waterloo and Ashford International stations, who provide assistance to passengers.
The employees are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, which has objected to a regrading of pay levels. The RMT says the shakeup will mean staff at Ashford are paid £4,000 less than colleagues doing identical jobs in London.
Eurostar, which says it has seen ticket sales jump by 10% as a result of the threatened strike at BA, said yesterday it would be able to run a full service despite the walkout.
Paul Charles, a spokesman, said sales staff and managers would fill the void left by the striking workers.
"The planned strike is unnecessary and will have no impact on passengers. All of our services will be operating normally as we have made thorough contingency plans."
