British Airways could meet key cabin crew demands with an extra £10 million in annual spending, according to a union set to strike at the carrier starting next week.
Europe's third-largest airline is in talks with the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) hoping to head off plans by the T&G for a walkout by 10,500 cabin crew.
The T&G has given BA formal warning that it plans a three-day walkout beginning on January 29th and might follow with two more.
"We believe the true cost of the proposed way forward is £10 million, not the £37 million suggested by BA," T&G deputy secretary general Jack Dromey said today.
"That is an affordable settlement which will lay the basis for a strong forward-looking airline not one where key workers live in fear of an aggressive management," he said.
A spokeswoman for BA declined to comment on the T&G figure but said the two sides were in talks today aimed at averting strikes.
Unresolved issues relate to the airline's sick-leave policy and differences in its two pay scales for cabin crew.