British Airways staff belonging to the T&G union have voted to strike following a ballot of members. Workers at Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow will stage a 24-hour walkout on Friday 27 August, starting at 0430BST.
The vote, by check-in and ground handling staff, follows a similar decision by BA staff belonging to the GMB union earlier this week.
BA will hold talks with unions on Thursday to try and settle the dispute.
Representatives from the T&G and GMB unions will meet BA management at its Heathrow headquarters at 11BST.
The T&G represents more than 8,000 BA staff working at airports across the UK.
The union said there had been a 60% turnout at the ballot.
"Taking strike action is the last resort but the consistent failure by BA to address the issues seriously has led to our people feeling they have no alternative," said Brendan Gold, the T&G's general secretary.
About 3,000 GMB staff are also set to strike on one of four days over the August Bank Holiday weekend, at which time BA estimates it carries 100,000 passengers a day.
 Mr Blissett said BA workers were not happy |
A third union, Amicus, is also taking part in the pay talks, but as yet has no plans to ballot its members on possible action.
Sick leave linkage
BA has made an improved pay offer to staff in order to avert the possibility of crippling strike action.
It has offered staff one-off payments of up to �1,000 if they take less than 16 days sick leave between October 2004 and September 2006.
BA says its staff take an average 17 days off sick each year, against a UK average of seven days.
The one-off payment is in addition to a 8.5% rise in pay over three years.
BA urged the T&G to re-ballot its members on the terms of its new offer.
"This vote was based on an offer which has been substantially improved," said Mike Street, BA's director of customer service and operations.
"It would be absurd for the unions to go ahead with a strike on the basis of an old offer."
Mr Street said the unions had been asking for 14.5% over three years, and that the new offer met that claim.
'Real difficulty'
But following talks with BA, GMB chief negotiator Ed Blissett said workers were not happy that the firm was trying to link pay rises with sick leave.
 | BRITISH AIRWAYS - RECENT HISTORY May 2000 - Rod Eddington replaces Bob Ayling as chief executive. Begins strategy of cutting jobs and routes, while focusing on attracting business travellers May 2001 - signs of progress as BA reports a jump in profits to �150m September 2001 - BA says it is to cut 7,000 jobs as the air industry is hit by the September 11 terror attacks February 2002 - BA says it is to cut a further 5,800 jobs May 2002 - reports a loss of �200m, its worst since the firm was privatised in 1987 May 2003 - returns to the black with a profit of �135m July 2003 - a wildcat strike by ground staff causes massive disruption and costs BA �40m May 2004 - BA introduces surcharge on ticket prices as soaring oil prices push up the cost of fuel May 2004 - reports a surge in profits to �230m August 2004 - unions threaten strike action by ground staff over pay deal |
"We have a real difficulty with that and we have to find a way through the problem," he said.
"If the company insists on linking pay with absence, it will cause a real problem."
However, he did vow to explore "all avenues" to resolve the dispute.
Travel agents said that with uncertainty surrounding BA's services over the bank holiday weekend, it would be no surprise if passengers changed their travel plans.
"The strike will have a major impact," said Keith Betton, from the Association of British Travel Agents(ABTA).
"I think that if you are in a position where you have to fly on those days, you will be looking for an alternative."
T&G, meanwhile, has published figures saying it would cost �10m a year to settle the dispute.
It says average wages of BA staff had increased by well below the rate of inflation, while profits had soared.
The unions have previously 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.
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.
Staff shortages
Recent newspaper reports have suggested that sickness levels among BA staff had risen in the past few days, with one report claiming that one in 10 staff had taken sick leave on Monday.
But the airline denied the claims.
"Certainly there are staff shortages at Heathrow, but that's not to do with industrial action," a spokeswoman said.
She added that a recruitment drive was underway to alleviate the problem.
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