LONDON (Bloomberg) - British Airways plc. (BA) labour leaders will seek fresh talks with management on cabin-crew levels even if the airline's employees vote to strike over cuts that were declared legal on Friday by a UK court.

While a walkout may be called as early as March 1 if a majority of BA's 12,000 flight attendants back a strike, the Unite union will not close the door on negotiations, General Secretary Tony Woodley said in an interview.

Judge Christopher Holland ruled today that the airline acted within its rights in reducing staffing levels without union agreement after 1,000 flight attendants volunteered to leave and 3,000 more agreed to go part-time.

The union will publish the result of a month-long strike ballot on February 22.

"I've got no problem with strikes if they're necessary, but I'm a great believer in jaw-jaw coming before war-war," Woodley said. Len McCluskey, Unite's assistant general secretary, has been "working day and night" to get a settlement in informal talks with BA at the Trades Union Congress, an umbrella organisation for labour groups, he said.

Judge Holland told the High Court in London that crew levels are not written into individual employment contracts, refusing to grant an order blocking the cuts. The airline reduced the number of flight attendants on its Boeing Co. 747s to 14 from 15 in November and redefined the role of cabin-service directors to include serving drinks and meals.

"Today's regrettable judgment makes absolutely no difference to the substance of our dispute with British Airways," Mr. McCluskey said in an e-mailed statement from Unite.

"We remain in negotiations with the company and hope that management will address the real concerns of cabin crew. Should they fail to do so, industrial action remains a possibility."

BA, facing its first strike since 1997 as it seeks £127 million ($199 million) in savings, said in a statement that it was pleased with the ruling and that Unite should "'reflect on the court's decision rather than impose an unnecessary strike".

The High Court victory was the carrier's second over Unite in as many months after it won an injunction on December 17 to block a cabin-crew strike over Christmas. Judge Laura Cox ruled a vote for the walkout invalid as the union polled workers who had already agreed to leave the company.

"Mediation would be the best way for the parties to come to a workable solution, rather than continuing the monthly jaunt to the High Court, or the union ballot box," Philip Henson, a partner and employment specialist at London law firm Bargate Murray, said in an e-mailed statement.

British Airways closed up 0.4 percent at 210.6 pence in London. The stock has advanced 13 percent so far this year.