Despite the fact that just 24 hours ago it appeared that British Airways was on the verge of an agreement with the Unite union, to avoid a crippling strike by cabin crews, the situation has turned full circle today. It has been revealed that despite the fact that Unite was willing to agree a 2.6% pay cut this year and negotiate on the number of cabin crew required on certain routes, British Airways believes this falls well short of the £60 million plus savings the company has targeted.

It was the union which stepped forward yesterday to instigate last-minute talks to avoid a strike and indeed a number of concessions were offered to the company. The fact that the British Airways management has rejected this move by the Unite union could seriously jeopardise any potential working relationship between the two parties in the short, medium and longer term. While we are unaware of the details of the disagreement and the offer made by the union there is no doubt that it was the final olive branch to the British Airways management.

The financial situation at British Airways has become critical over the last few months and constant battles with the unions and difficult trading conditions do not help the situation in the short term.

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