Keep flying or work elsewhere, Branson tells staff

VIRGIN Atlantic chairman Sir Richard Branson has told cabin crew threatening to strike they should consider working elsewhere.

The airline said staff were volunteering to work during two 48-hour strikes planned to start next week after Sir Richard made it clear the company would not increase a pay offer.

Sir Richard wrote in a letter to staff that the company had "drawn a line in the sand" over pay this year.

He said: "To go further would result in unacceptable risks and would set a dangerous precedent to the company as a whole. It would be irresponsible of our management and they, rightly, are not going to take that risk."

Members of Unite union are planning to walk out on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 January and again on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 January. Virgin Atlantic, which flies from London and Manchester to the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia, said it will operate nine out of ten flights despite the action.

A spokesman said that, since the letter arrived at workers' homes on Saturday, staff – including some union members – had been contacting their managers, offering to work on strike days in an effort to avoid cancellations.