British Airways has fired a warning shot at the union that began balloting 14,000 cabin crew on industrial action yesterday.

In a letter to Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, the joint general secretaries of Unite, BA said that it would not tolerate union members promoting strike action while at work.

BA said that during previous ballots, staff had put stickers saying “vote yes” on passenger luggage and even on aircraft interiors.

Bill O’Shaughnessy, head of industrial relations, said that BA would reserve the right to recover cleaning costs from the union and would also consider criminal damage charges against individuals.

BA staff have also been forbidden from wearing badges on their uniforms promoting the union or strike action and are banned from handing out leaflets on company property.

A union representative mocked the warning in an e-mail to members, saying that BA was threatening criminal charges for “the heinous crime of sticker ownership”.

However, BA’s stance is a further indication of how bad-tempered relations between the airline and its cabin crew have become.

The result of the ballot will be known on December 14. If members vote in favour, the first strikes could hit BA on December 21 — just as the busy Christmas travel period begins.

In such an environment, rumours have spread among cabin crew about BA’s tactics for dealing with a potential strike. In an e-mail to members of the British Airways Stewards and Stewardesses Association, part of Unite, representatives claimed that BA was monitoring internet forums for negative comments about the airline.

The e-mail also said: “Teams of up to six people from a shadowy department known as Asset Protection are dedicated to monitoring union activity and individual reps for any information that could be used to damage the union and undermine the ballot.”

BA said: “There are no dedicated teams who specifically cover cabin crew or union postings. We moderate all intranet staff forums for inappropriate comments.”

BA is trying to implement plans that would save £140 million a year from its cabin crew budget. It has proposed a two-year pay freeze, reduced allowances for long-haul travel and lower pay for new recruits. In addition, 1,000 crew have taken voluntary redundancy and a further 3,000 are moving to part-time work.

Yesterday BA imposed working practice changes on crew in a further effort to save money. The changes will reduce the number of staff rostered on to long-haul flights by at least 1 per flight.

BA lost £292 million in the six months to September 30, in addition to a £401 million loss last year.

The airline has said that it needs to save every penny to survive the worst recession that the airline industry has endured.

In another message to members, a union official wrote: “You have to vote YES if you want to say NO to IMPOSITION and a tyrannical management that is driving our company into the ground quite literally.

“Don’t be fooled into believing you will damage the product and the brand, the leadership team are doing that all on their own, reducing crew, imposing changes to product undermining the hard work and their most important asset. YOU.”

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