guardian.co.uk, Friday March 12 2010
More than 500,000 BA passengers face strike disruption this month after the Unite trade union announced walkouts over two consecutive weekends, prompting BA to withdraw a last-ditch peace offer. Unite trade union has called a series of strikes over two consecutive weekends this month, beginning with a three-day walkout on 20 March and followed by a four-day action from 27 March.
A brief glimmer of a reprieve for the 525,000 passengers affected by the strike was extinguished this afternoon by the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, who withdrew a compromise offer after hearing that Unite had set dates for the first cabin crew strike in 13 years. BA said the offer, which includes a partial repeal of staffing cuts, was conditional on Unite not setting strike dates.