Virgin Atlantic could be hit by New Year strike

3 December 2007

More than 3,000 cabin crew at Virgin Atlantic are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over pay.

Virgin Atlantic’s crew pay lags behind other airlines, including British Airways whose staff can earn up to £10,000 per annum more than Virgin Atlantic crew working the same routes.

The ballot follows protracted pay negotiations over the last seven months and the Unite member’s rejection of the company’s final pay offer on the 1st November. The strike ballot of Unite members is due to begin this week and close on the 20 December. Unite is recommending that member’s vote in support industrial action in an effort to break the deadlock.

The British Airports Authority (BAA) strike ballot on the company’s proposed closure of their pension scheme, also being conducted by Unite, is due to close on the same day. This raises the prospect of severe airport and airline disruption early in the New Year.

Brian Boyd, Unite’s National Officer for Aviation, said: “Our member’s do a professional and responsible job for one of the country’s highest regarded airline and their pay should reflect this.

“At the moment Virgin Atlantic’s cabin crew earnings are far less than their comparators on the main business routes at British Airways and clearly this is no longer acceptable to our members.

“Unite has done everything we can to avoid this situation but we have been left with no alternative but to ballot for strike action in an effort to get the company to recognise our members' contribution to the company’s continued success.” 

In the event of a ‘yes’ vote the union will have a period of 28 days to take action and has, by law, to give seven days notice of strike action to the company.