Union negotiators today claimed they were close to agreeing a pay deal with British Airways to avoid a bank holiday strike and the resulting travel chaos.
The Transport & General Workers Union (T&G) said the talks could continue into the evening, but was confident a deal would be reached by the end of the day.
Without an agreement, more than 11,000 baggage handlers, check-in staff and other ground crew from two unions will walk out for 24 hours on Friday August 27, playing havoc with BA flights on what is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The airline has already stopped taking bookings for flights landing at or departing from British airports over the three-day weekend.
"The feeling is there is not a huge amount that we need to get through," a T&G spokeswoman told Reuters.
The T&G, which represents around 8,000 BA baggage handlers and check-in staff, and the GMB union, which represents another 3,000 BA check-in staff, had rejected the most recent management pay offer.
BA had offered an 8.5% rise over three years, and a £1,000 bonus for staff taking less than 17 sick days over two years. The airline's staff take an average of 17 sick days each year, compared to a national average of seven.
Union officials said the success of negotiations hinged on a BA move to not link bonuses with attendance, and to take into consideration staff who were forced to take long absences due to genuine illness.
The T&G says basic earnings for baggage handlers are around £14,000 a year. Check-in and administration staff earn between £11,000 and £12,000, the union says.
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