Last-ditch talks in BA dispute (From Croydon Guardian)

Last-ditch talks in BA dispute

10:49am Friday 19th March 2010 in

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Last-ditch talks to avert a damaging strike by British Airways cabin crew have resumed, with senior union officials meeting the airline's chief executive for one last attempt to reach a deal.

Willie Walsh went to the central London offices of Unite to meet the union's joint leader Tony Woodley after 12 hours of contacts on Thursday.

Mr Woodley said as he arrived that with goodwill on both sides, he was confident an agreement could still be reached and the action called off.

"We need common sense and we need a settlement," he said.

Mr Woodley and Mr Walsh spent all at the offices of the TUC, whose general secretary Brendan Barber has been trying to broker a deal for weeks.

Mr Woodley has stressed that while discussions are continuing there is some hope, but he appealed to the airline to put back on the table an offer it withdrew last week.

The union has said it will suspend a three-day strike due to start on Saturday to give its 12,000 cabin crew members a chance to vote on the offer if BA puts it forward again.

Even if a last-minute deal is agreed, it will be too late to reinstate flights already cancelled by BA, which has made detailed contingency plans to deal with the industrial action.

The airline is believed to have already lost more than £25 million in cancelled tickets and contingency plans, which include leasing fully crewed planes from other companies.

BA placed a full-page advert in national newspapers in which Mr Walsh said his door "remains open" to Unite.