UK airports strike called off

LONDON, England (AP) -- A planned series of strikes in January by British airport workers has been called off, the Unite union said late Monday.

Union and management representatives had been meeting for new talks aimed at halting the strikes, which threatened to close some of Britain's busiest airports.

Leaders of the Unite union and the Public and Commercial Services Union were meeting management from airport operator BAA in a bid to resolve a dispute about the company's pension plan. Talks last week ended without agreement.

Workers at seven airports, including London's Heathrow and Gatwick, voted to stage three strikes beginning next week after BAA announced plans to close its final-salary pension plan to new employees.

Workers including firefighters, maintenance and security staff and clerical workers had planned to stage 24-hour strikes on January 7, January 14 and a 48-hour walkout starting January 17.

The other airports affected are Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.