Threatened BA strike spells trouble for Brown

The Labour Party is trailing the Conservatives in the opinion polls before an election expected on May 6, and a strike that would disrupt Easter holiday plans for thousands of families is the last thing Brown needs.

He has called the plan "unjustified and deplorable," urging BA and Unite to resume talks.

Unite is Labour's main financial backer, and the Conservatives have seized on the threatened strike to mount a full-scale attack on what they present as left-wing union bosses' stranglehold on a party dependent on their cash.

"BA needs this strike like a hole in the head," said Theresa Villiers, the Conservative transport chief.

"Labour's paymasters at Unite are determined to wind the clock back to the 1970s, when strikes brought this country to a standstill," she told a news conference.

Most BA cabin crew plan a three-day strike starting on Saturday, followed by a four-day walkout from March 27.

"CASH GORDON"

Unite's call to strike resulted in BA withdrawing an offer made to staff on some of the disputed points, including re-installing some crew positions that had been slated for cuts.

A Unite boss said on Tuesday the company should bring back the offer it had withdrawn.