Threat of a new Winter of Discontent rises

By TOM MCGHIE and MARK FOXWELL
Updated:

Britain faces a devastating wave of industrial action, starting at Christmas with the threat of a walkout at British Airways, crippling power cuts, disruption in the Civil Service and a strike at nuclear weapons plants.

Unite, the UK's biggest union, will announce the result of a ballot tomorrow at a mass meeting of BA cabin crew that is likely to see them poised for a strike over new working conditions during the festive period. It would halt all BA flights.

Also tomorrow, Unite plans to ballot thousands of members involved in a pay dispute at National Grid. Workers are objecting to slow progress in talks on pay and conditions.

British Airways check-in desk

Grounded: Strike action at British Airways threatens to usher in a devastating wave of industrial action

The union warned that a strike could lead to power cuts in England and Wales by the end of January.

Meanwhile, unions are threatening strike action at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, Berkshire, which builds nuclear warheads, on fears that the company will axe 1,000 staff next year.

The Prospect union said it had a leaked document from AWE's board outlining major redundancies to save £30 million a year.

Negotiating officer Bob King said the union was looking to ballot the company's 6,000 workers for strike action if a crisis meeting with unions, which includes Unite, is not held.

He said: 'It's outrageous that the company has not informed us direct. If they do not agree to talks, we will look at strike action early next year.'

AWE declined to comment on the document. It said: 'The company is carrying out a review of the ways in which assets and skills can be used most effectively.'

AWE is funded by the Ministry of Defence and run by AWE Management, owned by UK firm Serco and US companies Lockheed Martin and Jacobs.

Elsewhere, the Government, under fire for not being ruthless enough in cutting public spending, faces a strike by civil servants over redundancy payments.

The Public and Commercial Services Union said it would ballot members on moves to drive through curbs in redundancy payments. A strike in the run-up to a General Election would be humiliating for the Government.

At services company Fujitsu thousands of IT workers, members of Unite, plan to strike for six days starting on Friday and five days in January.

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