BA launches legal action to prevent Christmas strike

British Airways yesterday said it has launched legal action aimed at preventing cabin crew striking for 12 days over the busy Christmas and New Year period in a row over working conditions.

BA said in a statement that it was "seeking an injunction to prevent the strike going ahead", one day after thousands of cabin crew voted to stop working from December 22 until January 2.

Britain's biggest trade union Unite had announced on Monday that its members planned to strike for 12 days, threatening travel misery for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

"British Airways is commencing legal action in an attempt to protect customers from the massive stress and disruption threatened by Unite's decision to call a 12-day strike from December 22," BA said yesterday.

"The airline has today written to Unite, highlighting irregularities in the union's strike ballot, which the airline believes renders the ballot invalid.

"The airline called on Unite to call off the industrial action by 2 p.m. (1400 GMT) today. The union has not done so and British Airways is now seeking an injunction to prevent the strike going ahead."