BA, union in last-minute talks as strikes loom

London, Jan 29: British Airways and its largest union enter last-minute talks on Monday in a bid to avert a 48-hour cabin crew strike set for midnight which threatens the travel plans of more than 140,000 passengers.

''Talks continue,'' a spokeswoman for Europe's third-largest airline said, adding that the focus remained on trying to avert the pending walkout, as well as two 72-hour strikes set for next month.

''We would do what we could to reinstate operations,'' the spokeswoman said when asked what BA could do if a breakthrough comes on Monday.

A spokesman for the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) also confirmed that the talks would resume on Monday.

BA shares were up 1.18 percent at 533-3/4 pence versus London's FTSE 100 index which was up 0.07 percent at 1022 GMT.

Brokerage UBS analyst Tim Marshall boosted his target price for BA to 650p from 600p in a research note on Monday while maintaining a ''buy'' rating, noting strikes have offered buying opportunities in BA stock in the past.

BA is prepared to cancel some 1,300 flights Tuesday and Wednesday if the walkout takes place, leaving just a fraction of its operations in service.

More than 140,000 passengers would be affected on flights to and from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and BA has said there could be further disruption afterwards.

The dispute with the union centres around BA's sick-leave policy and its two pay scales for cabin staff.

BA says cabin crew were taking an average of 22 sick days per year before Chief Executive Willie Walsh took charge in October 2005 and that under a new absence policy the figure has fallen to 12 days.

The union, which says 96 percent of the cabin crew it represents are in favour of strike action, has threatened two further 72-hour walkouts beginning on Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 unless an agreement can be found.

Some 10,500 of BA's approximately 15,000 cabin crew are members of the T&G. The airline has urged customers to check the ba.com Web site for information.

REUTERS

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