Union to re-ballot BA cabin crew over strike action

The union representing British Airways cabin crew will re-ballot its members over possible strike action after it admitted a recent vote was vulnerable to being challenged as legally invalid.

Cabin crew voted last month to hold further strikes in the long-running dispute which has already cost the airline £150m. However, BA argued that the ballot – the third held by staff backing industrial action – was unlawful. That led the Electoral Reform Society, the watchdog responsible for overseeing the vote, to qualify its official report, the Unite union said.

"Unite therefore cannot call industrial action based on this ballot, since such a move would expose our members to sanctions by a bullying employer," said the union's general secretary, Len McCluskey.

He said the union, which represents about 90 per cent of the airline's cabin crew, had had no contact from BA bosses since last month's ballot and it would now hold another vote on taking industrial action "within the next 10 days or so".