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Tensions have heightened further at British Airways as Prime Minister Gordon Brown has entered the fray. The Unite trade union has scheduled a three-day strike to begin this Saturday, and potentially another four-day walkout for the end of the month, if there is still no agreement by then. Nearly 12,000 union members will walk off the job Saturday in protest over staffing cuts. Prime Minister Brown called the planned walkout "deplorable," and transport secretary Lord Adonis echoed his words. Joint general secretary of Unite, Tony Woodley, has, in turn, criticized both politicians, saying that as an unelected official it is not Adonis' place to say, and commenting on how quickly Brown jumped on the 'anti-union bandwagon.' Over 500,000 passengers will likely be affected by the two rounds of strikes, and full refunds are being offered to those who had planned to travel in the second half of March.