airlines - ba staff win rise
WORKERS, SEPT 2004 ISSUE
BA baggage handlers and check-in staff have won an 8.5% pay increase over three years, plus £1,000 in three staged payments. The agreement includes a new sickness absence policy designed to cut the absence rate without penalising those who are sick.
The workers had voted for a 24-hour strike during the August Bank Holiday weekend in two ballots, one held by the GMB and one by the TGWU. The strength and determination showed in the votes effectively forced BA to suspend bookings during the four days of negotiations.