Union issues British Airways strike threat over job cuts

In his letter, seen by the BBC, McCluskey said the union would work "every hour" between now and 7 August when BA is reportedly due to enact the next phase of its plan to convince the carrier’s bosses to change course.

"You can take this letter as our commitment to do that," said McCluskey. "However, you can also take this as an intention to defend our members by moving towards industrial action with immediate effect."

It comes after pilots union Balpa last week reluctantly recommended its members accept a range of "job protection" measures agreed with BA after months of negotiations, which it said would nonetheless result in up to 270 redundancies.

A BA spokesperson said: "This is the biggest challenge the airline and our industry has ever faced. Sadly, the global pandemic has resulted in job losses across every industry. Many airlines have already made thousands of staff redundant.

"We are not immune to this crisis. We have to adapt to survive, so we will continue with the proper, lawful consultative process and we will keep inviting union representatives to discuss our proposals to the serious challenges we face.

"It is not too late to find solutions – as we have done with Balpa – and to protect jobs.​"