Airport strike talks remain deadlocked

Updated 19.17 Thu Dec 27 2007

Keywords: pension, BAA, Gatwick, Heathrow

Talks aimed at averting a series of New Year strikes at Britain's biggest airports have ended without agreement.

No further dates have been set for negotiations although union officials stressed there is still time for another attempt to head off two 24-hour and one 48-hour strike in January.

The strikes are planned for 24 hours on January 7, 14 and for 48 hours from January 17

The first 24-hour walkout is due on January 7 followed by another strike on January 14 and a 48-hour stoppage from January 17 at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports.

Leaders of the union Unite met for several hours with the airports' owners BAA to try to resolve a row over pensions but the dispute remained deadlocked.

A union spokesman said the company had refused to back down over a controversial decision to close its final salary pension scheme to new entrants.

"As things stand, the industrial action set to begin on January 7 will go ahead," said the spokesman.

No date has been set for any further meetings between the two sides.

The union stressed it had held off from taking industrial action for the Christmas period but made it clear that the strikes will go ahead unless the company changes its mind.

The travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers will be ruined if the strikes go ahead.