BA crew to be balloted on new deal to end strikes

The unions wants travel concessions for its members to be reinstated

British Airways cabin crews are to be balloted on a new deal that could end their long-running industrial dispute.

The new offer was reached in talks between BA chief executive Willie Walsh and Unite joint leader Tony Woodley.

The union has been pressing for the restoration of travel concessions removed from members who went on strike earlier in the year.

BA said that its offer, based on its previous proposals, was "very fair and reasonable".

The airline added that the offer represented "a genuine solution to the remaining issues in this dispute".

Core issues

Unite has also been trying to reverse disciplinary sanctions imposed on union members during the dispute.

"There will be a consultative ballot on the offer and we're working to get this underway as soon as practically possible," said a Unite spokeswoman.

The airline's cabin crew workers have staged 22 days of strike action since March, costing the airline £150m.

When the dispute began in November last year, it centred on changes to staffing levels, pay and working conditions.

However, Unite has since said that the core issues are the removal of the travel concessions and the implementation of disciplinary sanctions against its members since March.

BA reported earlier this month that its passenger numbers in September were 1.3% higher than a year earlier.

However, its total traffic for the year to date is still down on a year ago, following the strike action and April's volcanic ash cloud which grounded flights across Europe.