Pilots at Bmibaby vote to strike

The planned strike has been caused by a pay dispute

Pilots at UK budget airline Bmibaby have voted to go on strike in a row over pay, a move that threatens disruption at a number of airports.

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said its members at the carrier had backed industrial action by a majority of 3-1.

Bmibaby said only 47% of pilots backed the strike and it was now "reflecting" on the union's call for fresh talks.

The carrier is the "no frills" subsidiary of airline BMI.

It flies from airports including Nottingham East Midlands and Cardiff.

'Despair'

Bmibaby's industrial dispute with staff centres on its imposition of a 2.4% pay rise, which workers at Balpa insist is not enough.

"Our members in Bmibaby have spoken out loud and clear," said Balpa general secretary Jim McAuslan.

"The imposition of a 2.4% pay rise without any satisfactory negotiations was a big factor in this vote, but it was only one factor.

"There is despair that the management of the company has shown its employees a total lack of respect over a wide range of issues."

Balpa added that any walkout would not take place over the Bank Holiday weekend as a "sign of goodwill".

Bmibaby said in a statement that "customers are advised to make no changes to their travel plans".

"Bmibaby have contingency plans in place to deal with any operational disruption and will keep customers advised of current information via the website," it said.

A separate strike ballot of pilots is taking place at the main BMI airline.

This is also over pay, but further includes a dispute over planned increases in pension contributions.

The result of this vote is due next week.