British Airways cabin crew warn walkout is looming, with Easter weekend the likely target for rail workers Industrial action is threatening to disrupt the travel plans of millions of rail and air passengers over the next month as disputes at Network Rail and British Airways move towards strike action. A walkout by BA cabin crew is possible after the airline asked for an extension to talks until tomorrow afternoon in order to consider a last-ditch offer of a 2.6% pay cut by flight attendants. The Unite trade union has ruled out striking over the Easter holidays, but a strike could be called for next week if discussions fail. Unite’s cabin crew branch, Bassa, warned members last night that a walkout was looming. “It would appear that at this stage it is also increasingly unlikely that an agreement will be reached,” said Bassa representatives in an email. Network Rail, the owner of Britain’s rail tracks and stations, also warned yesterday that a national strike could follow straight after a BA walkout — with the bank holiday weekend the likely target. Maintenance workers and signallers at the RMT union are being balloted over job reductions and changes to working conditions, with the poll results due in the next week. Robin Gisby, Network Rail director of operations, said he expected 5,500 signallers and thousands of maintenance staff to strike over Easter, in what would be the first national rail strike since 1994. “Our guess is that it will come together this Easter weekend,” he said, but indicated that the company would not back down over the changes to shift patterns and voluntary job cuts underpinning the dispute. “I cannot live with the RMT holding the whole country to ransom.” Gisby also accused the RMT of using the imminent general election to strongarm the company. “The timing of this dispute and the clinical attempt to bring together ops and maintenance issues at the same time is an obvious political move by the RMT to maximise pain for passengers over a holiday period – Easter – and to disrupt a potential election campaign.” Gisby admitted a strike by signallers would cause significant problems, possibly shutting down the busiest parts of the network, because major signalling centres would be left unstaffed. Network Rail believes it can withstand a strike by maintenance workers for a week, but anything longer could see speed restrictions imposed, with some branch lines being shut down. The RMT said the cuts would make a rail disaster an “inevitability”

Original Source Combined threat of British Airways and Network Rail strikes could disrupt travel plans for millions