A strike by check-in staff would cause chaos

Action is threatened for one of four days: 27, 28, 29 or 30 August and is set to cause chaos over one of the year's busiest periods for travel.

The strike will mainly affect Heathrow and Gatwick but could hit six UK airports if TGWU members take part.

Union representatives said they will meet with the company on Tuesday for talks aimed at defusing the situation.

About 3,000 check-in staff, based mainly at Heathrow and Gatwick and represented by the GMB union, voted in favour of industrial action.

The GMB said it also has members at airports in Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen who are backing the move.

More BA employees are set to vote on whether or not to join their colleagues in a TGWU ballot due later this week.

The planned strike is due to run for 24 hours from 0430 BST (0330 GMT).

BA expects to carry 100,000 passengers a day over the Bank Holiday weekend and GMB negotiator Allan Black admitted the effects of a strike could be devastating.

Olive branch

Union officials are currently working on a new proposal, that they say could avert the strike if it is approved by BA.

Mr Black is to contact other worker representatives to discuss the new plan. The plan involves agreeing a pay rise for this year and continuing negotiations about pay rises for the next two years.

Profits are up, employee costs are down and will continue to fall as our people accept and adapt to new situations Brendan Gold TGWU Check BA's latest share price BA strike would dent profits

"If the other unions are prepared to adopt this position, it will be raised with the company as a way of resolving the dispute," he said.

"We have no interest in closing down British Airways and inconveniencing the public.

We are doing everything we possibly can to resolve this dispute."

BA said both sides should return to the negotiating table.

"We are still talking with the trade unions and remain keen to avert any threat of a strike through negotiation," the company said in a statement.

"During this process, talk of strike dates is unhelpful and unwelcome and we urge the trade unions to pull back from such a damaging course of action."

Clash

Later this week the Transport & General Workers Union (TGWU) is due to announce the result of a ballot among 8,000 BA staff. If they vote in favour of a strike, disruption would be much more widespread, with a total of six airports across the UK affected.

Trade union Amicus is also involved in the dispute, but has not yet decided to ballot the 800 BA staff that it represents.

The TGWU has published new figures which it said estimated the cost of settling the dispute would be �10m a year.

It said average wages of BA staff had increased by well below the rate of inflation, while profits had soared.

"These figures show what our members know in plain terms - that they have delivered for BA," said national officer Brendan Gold.

"Profits are up, employee costs are down and will continue to fall as our people accept and adapt to new situations," he said. "Their contribution must be recognised."

'Fair' pay offer

The unions have rejected a pay offer worth 8.5% over three years, or 10.5% if the money did not count towards pensions.

They say basic earnings for baggage handlers are about �14,000 a year, while check-in and administration staff, many of whom are women, earn between �2,000 and �3,000 less.

But BA director of operations Mike Street has said the pay offer was "fair and reasonable given the challenges facing our company".

He claimed the company's employment costs were the highest in Europe.

Check-in workers staged an unofficial walkout at Heathrow Airport last summer over working conditions, which left 100,000 passengers stranded and cost BA �40m.