Talks between British Airways and Unite, the union, have broken down. Failure of the negotiations, aimed at breaking the deadlock over the airline’s plans to cut thousands of jobs and freeze pay, means that both sides must now abide by a 14-day cooling off period during which time there is no external communication.

A company deadline of June 30 passed without agreement and the conciliation service Acas has been involved in talks between the two sides for the past few weeks.

BA said in a statement tonight: “Unite has today registered a failure to agree in the cabin crew talks. A failure to agree involves a 14 day cooling off period during which time there will be no external communications.

“This period is for both sides to reflect on where they are and explore ways of resolving matters.”

The union made no comment tonight but officials are known to have grown frustrated at the lack of progress during the talks after Unite put forward its own proposals for saving money including cabin crew agreeing to a pay cut.

It is understood a similar “failure to agree” will be registered tomorrow on behalf of other BA workers, including baggage handlers and check-in staff.

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