Union: BA must end 'needless war'

Unite warned of the "dangerous folly" of using untrained staff to crew planes and said that only two days ago a BA crew in New York proved its worth by saving the life of a man who collapsed at the airport.

The union has said thousands of its members will walk out for three days from March 20 and for four days from March 27 after the collapse of talks aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and working conditions.

It had disclosed plans to ballot its 12,000 cabin crew members on an offer from BA but any hopes of a last-ditch reprieve for travellers were scuppered when the airline said the offer was no longer on the table.

Writing in the Daily Mail, BA chief executive Willie Walsh launched a scathing attack on the union, describing the proposed strike as "another cold-blooded threat" to the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers.

He accused the union of being stuck in a time warp and said it was blind to the difficulties the airline faced in the "worst recession for 80 years", adding that it "prefers to believe the earth is flat".

Unite said it did not want to take part in a battle of insults.

Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Unite, said: "BA's managers must pause and think hard about what they risk losing if they continue with this needless war against its own workforce.

"Once again, I urge Mr Walsh to put yesterday's offer back on the table.

"Allow your workers a voice. Trust them to make the correct decision on their futures and bring stability back to this airline."