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		</div><p>British Airways pilots are to stage a series of strikes next month in a dispute over pay.</p>
<p>The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) said its members will walk out on September 9, 10 and 27.</p>
<p>The union said it put forward a number of packages during several days of talks at the conciliation service Acas that it believed would have resolved the dispute without a strike.</p>
<p>A statement said: <em>“BA did not accept any of these packages, and it is clear following discussions with members over the last few days that BA’s most recent offer will not gain the support of anywhere near a majority of its pilots.”</em></p>
<p>BA said: <em>“It is completely unacceptable that Balpa is destroying the travel plans of tens of thousands of our customers with this unjustifiable strike action.”</em></p>
<p>In British Airways’ centenary year, this will be the first time its pilots will go on strike.</p>
<p>Balpa said the strikes were a “last resort and with enormous frustration at the way the business is now being run”.</p>
<p>A ballot in favour of industrial action is valid until January, and Balpa warned more strike dates may be announced if the row is not resolved.</p>
<p>Balpa said: <em>“With a 93% vote in favour of taking industrial action, and with no prospect of any further meaningful talks, we have no choice but to call this action.</em></p>
<p><em>“A day of strike action will cost BA around £40 million. Three days will cost in the region of £120 million.</em></p>
<p><em>“The gap between BA’s position and Balpa’s is about £5 million.</em></p>
<p><em>“Our proposal remains on the table should BA wish to reach agreement prior to strike action.</em></p>
<p><em>“British Airways is an extremely profitable and successful company, and pilots have been proud to play their part in that.</em></p>
<p><em>“In 2018 the company announced profits of £2 billion.</em></p>
<p><em>“Over recent years BA pilots have made sacrifice after sacrifice to assist the company, such as taking a pay cut, productivity increases, closing the final salary pension scheme, giving up annual leave days, a new rostering system and reducing flying pay.”</em></p>
<p>BA said in a statement: <em>“We are extremely sorry that after many months of negotiations, based on a very fair offer, Balpa has decided on this reckless course of action.“We are now making changes to our schedule. We will do everything we can to get as many people away on their journeys as possible.</em></p>
<p><em>“However, it is likely that many of our customers will not be able to travel and we will be offering refunds and re-bookings for passengers booked on cancelled flights.”</em></p>
<p>Flights on BA CityFlyer, SUN-AIR and Comair are not affected by the strikes.</p>
<p>BA said it was exploring options to supplement its fleet by using aircraft and crew from other airlines and working with its partner airlines to schedule larger aircraft.</p>
<p>It added: <em>“Our proposed deal of 11.5% over three years is very fair and well above the UK’s current rate of inflation, and by contrast to Balpa has been accepted by the members of the Unite and GMB trade unions, which represent nearly 90% of all British Airways colleagues including engineers, cabin crew and ground staff.</em></p>
<p><em>“In addition to basic pay, pilots also receive annual pay increments and regular flying allowances.</em></p>
<p><em>“We continue to pursue every avenue to find a solution to avoid industrial action and protect our customers’ travel plans.”</em></p>
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