The industrial dispute between unions and British Airways appears set to rumble on following the news that engineers could join with ground staff in walkouts in late August over the imposition of swipe cards.

Forum Response: British Airways

A spokesman for British Airways told ePolitix.com: "We have adjourned talks at ACAS for the weekend and expect them to resume early next week.

"Flights are operating normally out of Heathrow and we expect to clear the baggage backlog by the end of the day."

Forum Response: GMB

Kevin Curran, general secretary of the GMB, said: "The GMB are extremely frustrated that the talks at ACAS were not productive and that the company continues to fail to comprehend the position of the staff.

"At all stages of these negotiations, the GMB and BA staff have been clear that they want the imposition of ATR [swipe cards] lifted.

"The concerns of BA staff over changes to shift patterns and working practices are real and genuine. Our members are not traditionally militant workers.

"Many of them have family responsibilities and they are saying to us that they want to retain some balance between work and home lives. This is very much a dispute of the 21st century.

"We are hoping to meet the company and the other unions but it will take major movement from the company to resolve this dispute. If the company does not lift the imposition and address the real issues there will be a ballot on industrial action."