The British Airways cabin crew union, Unite, has announced fresh strike dates in its long-running dispute with the airline.

Cabin crew will walk out for four separate five-day strikes in May and June.

The first strike will begin on 18 May, ending on 22 May, with the three further strikes beginning on 24 May, 30 May and 5 June.

Unite members rejected a fresh deal for cabin crew earlier this month.

The union said 81% of the cabin crew it represents voted against BA’s offer last week, which sought to resolve the dispute over pay and working conditions.

Details of that deal were not given, but Unite said BA had failed to restore the travel perks it withdrew from staff involved in the previous strikes in March.

Those stoppages grounded hundreds of flights and cost BA an estimated £45m.

The newly-announced strikes will see staff walk out for a total of 20 days, covering spring bank holiday and school half-term holidays.

In a statement, Unite’s joint general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley blamed BA for forcing cabin crew to again resort to industrial action.

“There can be no industrial peace without meaningful negotiations and while management victimises trade unionists and uses disciplinary procedures in a witch-hunt,” they said, claiming that a Unite approach made over the weekend had been rejected.

“The seven days’ notice period is sufficient time for BA management to do the sensible thing and reopen meaningful negotiations,” they added.