British Airways (BA) workers have voted in favour of calling off planned strike action after accepting a pay deal. Hundreds of employees had been set to strike later this summer.
In a statement released after airline staff called off the industrial action, BA - which operates flights between Newcastle Airport and London Heathrow - said it was "delighted with this positive news". It comes as 75% of members of the GMB Union voted to accept the deal, which included a 8% consolidated pay rise.
It also featured a one-off bonus as well as the reinstatement of shift pay, The Mirror reports. Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said: “No one wanted a summer strike at Heathrow, but our members had to fight for what was right.
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“This improved pay deal came because of their efforts. Now these mainly women workers have won pay improvements for themselves – as well as forcing BA to make this offer to the rest of their staff too.
“Our members stood up for themselves and fought for what they were owed. “These are frontline workers facing harassment and abuse from customers daily. The least they deserved is fair pay.”
Members of check-in crew and ground handling agents were among the workers due to take part in the walkout. The proposed strike action had fuelled fears that BA would be forced to cancel even more flights following months of travel disruption caused by a combination of surging demand and staff shortages.
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