Unite to ballot Cabin Crew on offer to settle dispute

Reuters report: - The union representing cabin crew at British Airways said on Wednesday it would ballot them on an offer to settle a year-long dispute that has brought strikes costing the airline 150 million pounds ($235 million).

Tony Woodley, joint General Secretary of the Unite union, said he had met cabin crew representatives on Tuesday and they had agreed to put the offer to a ballot of members as soon as possible.

"Representatives agreed that it is the best that can be achieved through negotiation in the current climate," Woodley said. "Our members ... will now decide whether this offer meets their requirements."

BA said it thought the offer, the details of which have not been made public, was fair.

"The offer we have made, based on our previous proposals, is very fair and reasonable and represents a genuine solution to the remaining issues in this dispute," a BA spokesman said.

A key sticking point in resolving the dispute, which originally centred on cuts to pay and staffing levels, has been the airline's decision to remove staff travel perks for cabin crew who took part in the strikes.

However, the head of Unite's cabin crew branch BASSA told members in an email that BA had made enough changes to an earlier offer to warrant a ballot to see if it was acceptable.

"It is now up to you. If you vote against the offer, the dispute goes on. If you vote to accept, the dispute is over," BASSA Secretary Duncan Holley said.