British Airways strikers look for support in US

The union representing striking British Airways cabin crew will hold talks with a fellow U.S. union in Washington D.C. on Wednesday in an effort to bring international weight behind its walkout due to begin this weekend.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, meanwhile, urged British Airways and the Unite union to return to the negotiating table over a dispute about a pay freeze and changes to working conditions.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters have expressed solidarity with Unite, but it is unclear if they are prepared to play an active role in the two strikes planned by British Airways — a three-day walkout from Saturday and a four-day strike scheduled for March 27.

Direct action by aviation workers in the United States — or elsewhere in Europe — could make it impossible to clean, service and refuel planes.

That would have a severe impact on BA’s contingency plans to operate around 60 percent of its flights when around 12,000 cabin crew walk out in the run-up to the Easter holiday, affecting hundreds of thousands of travelers.

Brown said there was still time for Unite and British Airways to find a solution to the dispute and avert the strike.

An offer to workers that was pulled by British Airways on Thursday after the union called the strikes could form the basis of renewed discussions, he said.

“I would like the sides to get together and discuss these issues,” Brown told lawmakers during his weekly question and answer session in Parliament.

“I think the important thing is the advice I gave to both the management of British Airways and the unions — to take a deep breath and keep calm, and keep talking about this issue,” he added.

Brown’s direct intervention in the dispute comes as the ruling Labour Party lags in the polls behind the main opposition Conservative Party ahead of an election that must be held by June 3. The most likely date is considered to be May 6.

Unite, a major financial backer of the Labour Party, was angered after Brown called the planned strike “deplorable,” while Conservative Party leader David Cameron on Wednesday accused him of acting in the union interest by sidestepping questions about whether he would support workers who cross union picket lines during the strike.

British Airways has been training around 1,000 workers who volunteered from other departments at the airline to stand in for cabin crew in the event of a walkout. Unite has attacked that decision, saying it will put BA’s passengers’ at risk in emergency situations.

The airline said Monday that it plans to operate more than 60 percent of its long-haul services into and out of London Heathrow over the first strike period. It will operate 30 percent of its short-haul services from Heathrow by using a combination of its own services and hiring up to 20 aircraft with pilots and crew.

From Gatwick, it will operate all long-haul flights and more than half its short-haul network. Flights from London City, including its New York route, will all operate as usual.

The airline has also agreed with 40 other carriers to rebook passengers on canceled flights free of charge.

British Airways argues that the disputed changes — including a pay freeze in 2010, a switch to part-time work for 3,000 staff and a reduction in cabin crew sizes from 15 to 14 on long-haul flights from Heathrow airport — are critical for its survival.

Unite argues it was not properly consulted on the changes. The union stuck by a pledge not to hold a strike over the busy Easter period, after the planned Christmas walkout resulted in a public backlash, but it has warned that further action would take place after April 14 if the dispute is not resolved.