Unite goes 'international' in its fight with British Airways

By enlisting the help of its union friends in Germany, Spain, Italy, and now also America, where it hopes to stop the refuelling, cleaning and servicing of British Airways planes in these countries.

"We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at Unite who are fighting for a fair contract at British Airways," the US Teamsters union said in a statement.

BA, who has trained staff from other areas of the company, expressed their sadness at Unite's latest attempt to bring down the company:

"It is sad to see Unite seeking backing from trade unions overseas to support its unjustified strike against an iconic British brand," a spokesman said.

Conservative transport spokeswoman Theresa Villiers said Unite was deliberately seeking to cause maximum disruption.

"Unite should not be striking at all and trying to spread the dispute to other countries is even more irresponsible," Villiers said in a statement.

Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman - whose husband Jack Dromey is deputy general secretary of Unite - was yesterday also forced to speak out on the matter.

"Yes, I accept the strike is deplorable. It is not right to put at risk those who have planned holidays and those working at BA." she said.

"It's imperative a settlement can be found."