In a move that seems certain to inflame the cabin crew dispute, British Airways is paying staff working normally the bonuses that would have gone to their colleagues who are on strike.

Members of Mixed Fleet, who are employed on less-favourable terms than longer-serving Heathrow cabin crew, are normally paid a bonus known as My Incentive. Karen Slinger, head of inflight customer experience, has told staff that the airline is saving money “as a result of not paying My Incentive within Q1 and Q2 to those Mixed Fleet crew taking strike action”.

“As we have,” the letter continues, “I want to pay this money instead to recognise those of you who continue to come to work.

“As a thank you for your support to Ian [Romanis, Mixed Fleet Manager] and me – and for your commitment to our customers – we will make a further £250 one-off payment in August to all Mixed Fleet crew members who attend work throughout both strike periods in July.”

In addition, staff working on flights where there are fewer cabin crew than normal can claim up to £30 for the extra effort involved.

Members of the Unite union are in the middle of a 16-day stoppage. After two days of normal working on 17 and 18 July, another two-week strike will begin. It is due to end at midnight on 1 August.

The dispute began over what the union claim is “poverty pay”, with earnings so low that cabin crew are sleeping in their cars at Heathrow between flights because they cannot afford the fuel to drive home.

Unite says the average Mixed Fleet crew member earns £16,000 annually. British Airways says it does not recognise this figure, and that the lowest-paid full-time member of Mixed Fleet earned over £21,000 last year.

A pay deal worth 7 per cent over three years was struck in May, and is already being paid to non-union staff. But Unite has yet to ballot members on the deal. Strikers have lost travel concessions as well as bonuses, and the July stoppages are aimed at recovering these benefits.

In pictures: British Airways disruptions Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: British Airways disruptions In pictures: British Airways disruptions A passenger looks at a British Airway plane at John F. Kennedy (JFK) international airport in New York Getty Images In pictures: British Airways disruptions British Airways planes are seen at Heathrow Terminal 5 Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions Passengers stand at the British Airways check-in desk after the London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports suffered an IT systems failure, at the 'Leonardo da Vinci' airport in Fiumicino, near Rome, Italy EPA In pictures: British Airways disruptions Arrivals notice boards are displayed at Heathrow Terminal 5 Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions People wait with their luggage at the British Airways check in desks at Heathrow Terminal 5 Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions Thousands of passengers face a second day of travel disruption after a British Airways IT failure caused the airline to cancel most of its services Getty Images In pictures: British Airways disruptions A woman covered in a blanket sleeps in Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 Getty Images In pictures: British Airways disruptions People sleep next to their luggage at Heathrow Terminal 5 Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions People sleep at Heathrow Terminal 5 in London Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions A woman sleeps on a luggage trolley at Heathrow Terminal 5 Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions People queue to enter the terminal at Gatwick Airport Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions People wait with their luggage at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 Getty In pictures: British Airways disruptions Thousands of passengers face a second day of travel disruption after a British Airways IT failure caused the airline to cancel most of its services Getty In pictures: British Airways disruptions People queue with their luggage outside Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 Getty Images In pictures: British Airways disruptions People queue for check-in at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. Thousands of passengers face a second day of travel disruption after a British Airways IT failure caused the airline to cancel most of its services Getty Images In pictures: British Airways disruptions People sleep next to their luggage at Heathrow Terminal 5 Reuters In pictures: British Airways disruptions People wait with their luggage at Heathrow Terminal 5 Reuters

BA is offering a range of other payments to Mixed Fleet staff who are working normally.

As The Independent has revealed, non-strikers who prefer not to drive to work during the strike can claim up to £100 per trip for other forms of transport. Those who do not want to check baggage in may claim a further £35 for toiletries on trips of four days or more.

It’s pure ‘divide and rule’,” one striker told The Independent. “When we finally go back to work the atmosphere will be toxic.”

Another said: "The management is once again trying to silence us instead of looking for a solution and a fair pay deal for the whole fleet."