BA staff to hold emergency meeting

Thousands of workers are expected to attend the meeting, at Sandown Racecourse in Surrey, on November 2, two weeks before the cuts come into effect.

The Unite union has already urged BA not to impose the changes and has warned of industrial action.

Two former sections of the Transport and General Workers Union - Bassa and Cabin Crew 89 - have joined forces for the first time in over 20 years to hold the joint meeting.

"The situation we now face is so serious that we have taken the extraordinary step of joining together to hold this historic meeting," according to a message being sent to cabin crew. It is so important that all crew, whichever part of the union you belong to, need to attend."

BA chief executive Willie Walsh met with Unite leaders earlier this month after which the airline issued a statement which said: "The discussion, about cabin crew pay and productivity issues, was open and frank."

Unite have complained that the changes being introduced next month constituted a "fundamental attack" on the jobs, wages and career prospects of all 14,000 cabin crew members of the union.

"They will not only hit the customer service core of the business, but will forever undermine BA's international reputation as a premier airline with premier crew providing a premier service. You are now being bullied into the very real possibility of accepting inferior contracts in just a few weeks time," union leaders said in a letter to workers earlier this month.

"While we accept these are tough times for aviation generally, we do not accept that this is a company on its knees. This is still a prestigious airline with a high reputation to uphold not only at home, but also around the globe.

"Both the former sections of what is now Unite have already declared for industrial action if imposition of changes occurs. If the threat of imposition is not removed now, we will have no alternative but to seek an immediate mandate from you in a joint ballot for industrial action."