British Airways cabin crew will strike over Christmas, according to Associated Press on Monday, throwing the plans of thousands of holiday travelers into uncertainty at one of the busiest times of the year,
Strikes are to begin Dec. 22 and run for a dozen days until Jan. 2, said Len McCluskey, the assistant general secretary for Britain's Unite union. McCluskey said 92.5 percent of workers voted in favor of the action.
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The struggling carrier has announced sweeping changes as part of its bid to cut costs, including axing 1,700 jobs, freezing pay for current staff and offering lower wages for new employees. The airline has suffered along with the rest of the industry due to lower demand for travel during the global recession.
Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh called the action "completely unjustified" and said that union misled cabin crew over the necessity and fairness of the airline's new pay and work proposals.
Walsh said the company is "working hard on contingency plans, and will announce them as soon as they are finalized."
The airline, which is struggling as the global downturn eats away at demand for air travel, has defended the cost-savings measures as necessary to move back to profitability. It posted a net loss of 208 million pounds ($346 million) for the six months ending in September, its first-ever loss in the period, as revenue fell by 13.7 percent.
BA also revealed on Monday that its pension deficit has blown out further to 3.7 billion pounds, from 2.1 billion pounds in 2006, and said it would consult with employees about a recovery plan.
The union has argued that the changes, introduced in mid-November, has stopped members from doing their jobs properly and were imposed in breach of contract.
Cabin crews agreed last month to fly with reduced staffing after failing to win a court injunction banning the changes last month until a High Court decision on the dispute is due on Feb. 1.
It would be the first walkout since three days of action in 1997.
A statement from the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association, a section of Unite, said they had been forced into industrial action by the company.
McCluskey said the union hoped the action could still be avoided and that they'd made the decision to strike with "a heavy heart."
Shares in BA fell 0.7 percent to 199.90 pence immediately after the announcement.
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