BA union calls for January strike

British Airways (BA) customers may suffer severe delays in the new year as a cabin crew union announced that it will be balloting its members for industrial action.

The British Airlines Steward and Stewardesses Association (BASSA), part of the Transport and General Worker's Union (T&G), says that the UK's flagship airline "has become increasingly inclined to impose new practices rather than negotiate" and after ten years of stability there has been "a return to management by imposition".

The row stems from BA's mammoth £2.1 billion pensions deficit, which it is seeking to redress through a series of changes in working practices such as raising workers' retirement age.

Steve Hart, T&G regional secretary, said that there had been "a serious breakdown of industrial relations" between the airline and its staff but added that a strike is not inevitable.

"We remain convinced that a negotiated solution is possible but I urge BA management to act to resolve this dispute at the earliest possible opportunity," he said.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh explained the airline's position: "Many of the requests put forward by BASSA would prevent any change to working arrangements and add millions of pounds to our employee costs."

But he added that resolution was a possibility: "We're disappointed that BASSA has raised the prospect of industrial action in January but we're seeking to avert a dispute with the help of the T&G."