9:27am Friday 19th March 2010
TALKS to avert a damaging strike by British Airways cabin crew will resume today as time runs out on efforts to break a deadlocked row over cost-cutting.
The airline's chief executive, Willie Walsh, and the Unite union's joint leader, Tony Woodley, spent yesterday locked in delicate discussions at the TUC headquarters in London.
They broke up just after midnight and both sides will get back together this morning. Thousands of BA cabin crew are due to walk out tomorrow, causing chaos for thousands of passengers.
As he left the talks, Mr Walsh declined to say how fruitful they had been, saying only that they would resume.
Mr Woodley stressed that while discussions were continuing, there was some hope as he again appealed to the airline to put back on the table an offer it withdrew last week.
But his union was planning to hold a mass meeting of cabin crew at Sandown Park racecourse in Surrey today to rally the workers ahead of the strike.
BA cabin crew are planning to stage a three-day walkout from tomorrow, followed by a four-day stoppage from March 27.
Even if a last minute deal is agreed, it will be too late to reinstate the flights already cancelled by BA.
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