British Airways is planning to slash the pay of cabin crew joining the airline by several thousand pounds a year under drastic moves to cut costs, it has been claimed.
New starter rates of pay could be as low as £14,000 a year, a cut of up to 50% on current wage rates for cabin crew staff, sources told the Press Association.
Unions fear the new, lower pay rates will eventually become the norm as older staff leave the airline, and this has sparked a strike threat.
BA gave no details of the lower pay rates when it issued a statement on Tuesday announcing it was cutting 1,700 cabin crew jobs and freezing basic pay.
Union officials accused the company of "holding a gun" to the heads of staff and warned they were prepared to fight the proposals.
Union shop stewards will meet later to decide their response after taking soundings overnight from cabin crew.
The threat of industrial action is likely to be discussed, as well as the timing of any strike and the likely impact on bookings.
BA warned of mounting losses if action was not taken as it unveiled the latest cost-cutting move.
The airline risked provoking a dispute with staff after deciding to act following months of talks with unions, including a missed deadline in the summer for reaching a deal.
The changes will reduce the number of cabin crew jobs from 14,000 to 12,300. BA said posts being cut involved staff who managed the crew, adding there would be no reduction in customer services on flights.
