British Airways tackles absenteeism, avoids strike.

Byline: Tracey Boles

Aug. 22--British Airways and its unions have averted a damaging strike at the airline next weekend by agreeing a deal that will give managers new powers to monitor staff and report back on those with unusual patterns of absenteeism.

A new company-wide sickness policy will take effect immediately in a bid to tackle absenteeism rates at the airline, which runs at twice the national average. The crackdown on sick days could save the British flagcarrier as much as UKpound 30m (E44.5, $55m) a year.

Ground staff had been threatening