British Airways Cargo staff are set to begin a 9 day long strike on Christmas Day after the Union failed to agree a deal with the airline.
The strike by members of the Unite Union is a result of a dispute over pay cuts which unite says will see members see their wages drop by between £5,000 and £11,000 per year.
BA’s Cargo Centre at London Heathrow is one of the biggest Cargo facilities in the UK and handles IAG Cargo from British Airways and other IAG airlines.
Unite’s Assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said: “Unite has given British Airways numerous chances to resolve this dispute and it has repeatedly failed to grasp the opportunity.
“As a result, Unite members have no option but to go ahead with the planned strike action.
“The strike action will cause huge disruption to British Airways’ ability to bring cargo into the UK.
“Once again the company have decided to resurrect its ‘fire and rehire’ policies and target a group of employees who have continued to work throughout the pandemic bringing much need supplies to the UK and revenue to BA.”
In their defence, British Airways claimed that around half of their cargo workers would actually see their pay increase whilst others would see a maximum cut of 10%.