TUC Talks To Settle BA Dispute?

Talks could take place during the Trades Union Congress next week to avert further strikes and break the stalemate in the long-running dispute over British Airways cabin crew.

More than 1,000 cabin crew members of the Unite union voted at a Bassa meeting for a ballot on fresh strikes.

Reports suggest that Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, may hold talks with the airline in Manchester, where the TUC’s Congress will be held.

Members of Bassa, Unite’s main cabin crew branch, wore yellow ribbons in support of colleagues who had been sacked or disciplined at their meeting at Kempton Park racecourse near London.

Brendan Gold, a Unite national officer, said: “If it is not resolved we will have another ballot for industrial action, but the emphasis on our side is to try to reach a resolution.” He said Unite was preparing to fight dismissals by taking cases to employment tribunals.

Unite said it had paid out £2.8m in strike pay to more than 6,700 of its 11,000 cabin crew members and given £1,000 interest-free loans to around 50 cabin crew.