06/01/2010 @ 12:40

UPDATE: Unite, British Airways Agree To Hold Talks - Union

(Adds British Airways comment.)

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Unite, the labor union representing British Airways's PLC (BAY.LN) cabin crew, said Wednesday it has agreed with the U.K. airline to hold talks in an attempt to avoid a strike.

The two sides have been at loggerheads over BA's plans to introduce changes to working practices. After nine months of talks, BA on Nov. 16 cut the number of cabin crew on long-haul flights from London's Heathrow Airport to 14 from 15 which led to cabin crew voting to strike.

However in December, BA secured a High Court injunction preventing staff from taking industrial action.

Unite said both sides will meet over the next few days to find a negotiated settlement to their long-running dispute.

"We have said all along that this dispute could only be resolved through negotiation, rather than imposition or litigation, so we are delighted to be joining BA management in talks at the TUC," Unite joint general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley said.

"We will be approaching those talks in a constructive spirit, seeking to find a settlement that meets the real concerns of BA's skilled, loyal and professional cabin crew, while keeping the airline flying," they added.

Unite is continuing its process of re-balloting BA's cabin crew members for industrial action.

A BA spokeswoman said: "We have always said we would make ourselves available for talks with Unite at any time without preconditions. We are pleased that this new round of talks will now proceed under the auspices of the TUC."

-By Kaveri Niththyananthan, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420 7842 9299; [email protected]