British Airways' caterer Gate Gourmet was granted an extension on Friday to a court order restraining protests by dismissed workers, as it moved closer to ending a crippling staff dispute.
The ruling came a day after the caterer reached a non-binding agreement with union chiefs aimed at ending a dispute that grounded BA flights earlier this month and has disrupted in-flight meal services for two weeks.
"We are pleased the injunction continues because instances of intimidating and bullying behaviour against our hard-working staff have reduced since the injunction took effect on August 21," Gate Gourmet said in a statement.
Gate Gourmet said it would launch a voluntary redundancy programme in the next few days for staff, including hundreds sacked earlier this month, under the framework deal.
The success of the agreement, however, rests on Gate Gourmet cutting 670 jobs from its 2,000-strong workforce and on several individuals who instigated the strike accepting redundancy.
"If there are 670 voluntary redundancies and all the troublemakers are included, there is a neat solution," a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.
The source added that if the numbers fell well short and the targeted individuals did not take redundancy, then more talks would be required.
The Transport & General Workers Union (T&G), the union at the centre of the spat, said no more talks were scheduled for Friday and it was confident the issue could be resolved.
A T&G spokesman said it would become clearer late next week or the following week which workers were prepared to accept redundancy.
BA, which hopes to resume serving hot meals on short-haul services next week, maintained it would not sign a new supply contract with Gate Gourmet until the industrial dispute was fully resolved.