Business calls on BA and strikers to get talking

Business leaders are warning the UK's reputation is being hit by the British Airways strike as both sides continue to argue fiercely over the impact of the industrial action.

The airline is facing its third day of disruption, and its busiest, following the weekend walk-out by members of the Unite union in a bitter row over cost-cutting and jobs.

The union claims that more than 140 BA aircraft are standing idle at Heathrow, the airport worst affected by the dispute.

An official has also maintained that fewer than 300 crew had volunteered to stand in for strikers and accused the airline of counting inbound crew to inflate the numbers of staff on duty.

BA said 97.6 per cent of its Gatwick crew and 52 per cent of Heathrow crew reported to work as normal over the weekend. The airline also claimed to have reinstated a number of cancelled flights after more crew than expected had turned up for work.

Business group London First, whose members include many internationally-based businesses, said the capital's reputation as a centre for global trade was being damaged by the strike.

Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, will address strikers at a meeting near Heathrow later. He said he was certain that the vast majority of members had joined the action, which will end at midnight.

The union has called a four-day strike from next Saturday and has warned of further action from mid-April unless the deadlocked row is resolved.