Unite, the trade union behind the strikes by British Airways 12,000 strong cabin crew, intends to distribute leaflets to shareholders of the airline attending a meeting at London’s Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre today. The lobbying of the conference is an attempt by Unite to get BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, and the airline’s shareholders, to come to a compromise over working conditions, staffing levels and wages. Such factors have been the cause of a dispute between the airline and its cabin crew, which have gone on for the past 18 months.

Currently, British Airways flight attendants are voting on whether to accept a peace deal recently offered by the airline. If the deal is rejected, BA faces another round of walk-outs which could start in September.

Already this year, strikes have meant 22 full days of disruption for BA. According to Unite, this has cost the airline £154 million. In the event of another strike, Mr Walsh has declared that BA will keep all long haul services in operation.

Although Unite claims it cannot advise its members on whether to accept Mr Walsh’s latest deal, it has said that it cannot back it because it does not address the reinstatement of travel perks or the lifting of disciplinary measures on those who have already gone on strike.

For the year to the end of March, BA recorded a loss of £425 million, the biggest annual loss in the history of the airline. Walsh has claimed for a long time now that the only way for BA to survive is to cut costs. One of these cost cutting measures is to reduce the number of cabin crew on flights.