British Airways

Date| Event| Source| May 12, 2011| BA on the up after dispute dealBritish Airways has achieved a victory, albeit, at a considerable cost, that should stand it in good stead after cabin crew backed a deal to end the longest and most bitter dispute in the transport sector for years. Union had achieved an “honourable settlement” and pledged to work in a “spirit of partnership” to repair damage to the airline’s brand. Keith Williams, BA’s recently appointed chief executive, for being “strong, brave and courageous” in reaching the agreement. The settlement includes a two-year pay deal worth up to 7. per cent. It comprises an inflation-linked rise of up to 4 per cent this year, including 1. 1 per cent dependent on productivity savings, and 3. 5 per cent next, including 0. 5 per cent dependent on savings. The dispute started over cost-cutting but developed into a row over travel concessions removed from Unite members who went on strike, as well as suspensions and dismissals. The union was powerless to stop the original cause of the dispute – 1,700 full-time job losses among cabin crew as BA removed at least one crew member from most long-haul flights, saving ? 3m a year. It has also hired 700 new crew in its so called “mixed fleet” on certain routes, earning ? 17,000 a year on average compared with ? 29,000 for existing Heathrow cabin crew. That programme should yield ? 160m annual savings within a decade. “I think there is no question that it is a victory for British Airways but it comes at a cost,” said Douglas McNeill, at Charles Stanley Securities. Andrew Lobbenberg at RBS said “the economics of the dispute were won by BA about nine months ago” and it had gained “the credibility of being firm”. | Unread (Ft. om)Public View, Banks| May 12, 2011| Union welcomes BA deal that avoids humiliationUnion officials accused the company of “holding a gun” to the heads of staff and in December that year, cabin crew announced a 12-day strike over Christmas after a 9-1 vote in favour of industrial action. High Court ruled that the strike could not go ahead because Unite had balloted hundreds of members who had subsequently left the company. March last year that the first three-day strike began after a second ballot. There were 22 days of strikes in total last spring, costing the airline an estimated ? 150m but BA managed to keep most of its customers flying.
Some blamed Mr Walsh’s intransigence for prolonging the dispute but analysts praised him for preparing well. The airline had enough cash to fight a long battle and used a volunteer workforce, as well as aircraft hired from other airlines, to keep flights going. There was relief among Unite’s cabin crew members on Thursday that a formula had been found to end the dispute without more humiliation. An agreement come to reject by Bassa, Unite’s main cabin crew branch, this is due to the Mr Walsh said Unite had a “dysfunctional” relationship with Bassa, which operates largely autonomous. | Unread (Ft. om)Union views AND Cabin crew views| 14 May 2011 | BA workers vote to ballot on new dealOver 500 union members gathered for a mass meeting about the deal in West London today. Best summed up by one worker who said, “The press and BA have damned us. But we have come out on top—they should say that. “There will also be a pay increase totalling 7. 5 percent over two years—4 percent this year, backdated, and 3. 5 percent next year. It is unclear whether there are productivity requirements attached. Management has also agreed that there will be no unilateral imposition of any new terms and conditions without full negotiations with the union.
But a thread of uncertainty ran through the contributions from cabin crew during and after the meeting. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey told the meeting the sackings were “nonsensical”. But the agreement does not include the full reinstatement of the sacked staff. Mc Cluskey said, All it agrees to is binding arbitration. And those who have already been through an employment tribunal and are waiting for results,and dealt separately. McCluskey’s only reference to this was to say, “Change is with us. There is no point rejecting change, we have to embrace it. He also described a “change within management psyche”. It is no surprise that this psychobabble left crew feeling unsettled. McCluskey said the union would be making a “strong recommendation” that members accept it, and that he was “very confident” they would. Another expressed concern over the way in which the union was trying to “push a deal” on crew rather than allow an open discussion about pros and cons. Many asked how Bassa would survive when the mixed fleet remained and new starters were all employed on worse conditions.

Nearly two years of a media witch-hunt and abuse from BA, it is no surprise that many cabin crew feel relieved to have a deal. Furthermore, Solidarity, something cabin crew have fought hard for, cannot be dropped now. Allowing BA to employ workers on worse terms will weaken the position of the union. According to the Bassa members, they are willing to fight in 5ballots as in But no deal should be agreed without the reinstatement of every sacked worker, and without the issue of new starters being resolved. Union said it will not call for more strike dates. | Unread ( Socialist Worker Online. A revolutionary anti-capitalist paper I Britain)Cabin crews view Union view | 12 May 2011 * | BA and union agree to end disputeBritish Airways and the Unite union have reached an agreement to settle their long-running industrial dispute. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said, “We always said that this dispute could only be settled by negotiation, not by confrontation or litigation. And so it has proved,” he said. “I am particularly pleased that travel concessions will be restored. “The union said BA had agreed to restore travel concessions to staff who went on strike and award a two-year pay deal worth up to 7. %. Under the pay deal, staff will get up to a 4% rise this year and 3. 5% next year. The awards are linked to proposed productivity changes, but the exact details are not known at this stage. BA said: “On behalf of our customers, we are very pleased the threat of industrial action has been lifted and that we have reached a point where we can put this dispute behind us. “Our agreement with Unite involves acknowledgement by the union that the cost-saving structural changes we have made in cabin crew operations are permanent. We have also agreed changes that will modernise our crew industrial relations and help ensure that this kind of dispute cannot occur again,” the airline said. A recent change of leadership at both British Airways and Unite was seen to have given fresh impetus to a desire to reach agreement. Mr Duncan Holley, who was one of those sacked by the airline during the dispute, said the airline had taken some “brave steps”, and the union should match those brave steps. He said, a “wind of change” at BA under new chief executive, Keith Williams.
The dispute began in 2009 over cost cutting but became bogged down over the loss of travel perks to striking staff and the dismissal of some employees who joined the industrial action. The strikes have resulted in travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers and the bill for the disruption caused to BA has been estimated to be ? 150m. BA’s years of industrial turbulence2009 * Oct 6: BA announces 1,700 cabin crew job cuts and pay freeze2010 * Mar 20: Start of 3-day strike, with dispute inflamed by BA decision to withdraw perks. * April:
More strikes follow over the busy Easter period * May 17: BA wins injunction against further strikes after peace talks collapse * May 20: Unite wins appeal and strikes back on * May 22: Talks to avert walkouts end in disarray after demonstrators storm building, and chief executive Willie Walsh escorted away for protection * June: More strikes take total days lost to 22 * July 20: Cabin crew reject new offer * July 31: It emerges that more than 80 cabin crew have been suspended and 13 sacked because of incidents related to the dispute2011 * Jan 21: Cabin crew vote for fresh strikes, but action halted by new legal wrangling * Mar 28: Cabin crew vote by a ratio of 8-1 for strikes in new ballot * May 12: BA and Unite agree deal to avert further strikes| Unread (BBC news Business)Union viewsBA management viewsCabin crew views| 12 May 2011| BA and Unite reach deal to end cabin crew strikesUnion members to vote on settlement with British Airways that restores travel privileges and takes sackings into arbitration. The deal is being put to a mass meeting of Unite members near Heathrow airport and is expected to be recommended for acceptance in a ballot.
The deal will end 18 months of hostilities that included 22 days of walkouts. It includes the restoration of travel concessions for cabin crew, the issue that was holding up a settlement. McCluskey said: “We always said that this dispute could only be settled by negotiation, not by confrontation or litigation. And so it has proved. “We are delighted to have reached an agreement which I believe recognises the rights and dignity of cabin crew as well as the commercial requirements of the company. This agreement will allow us to go forward in partnership together to strengthen this great British company – good news for BA, its employees and its customers alike. I am particularly pleased that staff travel concessions will be restored in full with the signing of the agreement and the implementation of the new structure for working together that we have negotiated. A customer-oriented business can only succeed with all its employees valued and respected. A BA spokesman said: “We have also agreed changes that will modernise our crew industrial relations and help ensure that this kind of dispute cannot occur again. ” “Our agreement with Unite involves acknowledgement by the union that the cost-saving structural changes we have made in cabin crew operations are permanent. Two previous peace agreements were scrapped after Unite declined to recommend them because of concerns over sanctions against crew members who took part in strikes last year.
It is understood the agreement restores staff travel perks stripped from thousands of crew who took part in the strikes, as well as allowing arbitration of the dozens of disciplinary cases – including sackings – that were linked to the dispute. BA’s worst ever industrial relations dispute began in 2009 when the airline unilaterally reduced staffing levels on long-haul flights after a voluntary redundancy programme. Unite launched a strike ballot in protest at the cuts and the lack of consultation, triggering a year of high court hearings, strike votes and walkouts. In a bizarre interlude in the peace talks between Walsh and Woodley last year, members of the Socialist Workers party broke into discussions at the Acas conciliation service. | Unread (The guardian)Union ViewsBA management views| 2 May 2011| Unite to vote on deal to end BA disputeThe British Airways cabin crew union has voted almost unanimously to back a deal to end the longest and most bitter confrontation in the transport industry for years. Staff travel concessions, which had been removed from workers who went on strike last year, will be restored once the deal has finally been accepted. Disciplinary cases against dozens of Unite members arising from the dispute will be put to binding arbitration under the auspices of Acas, the conciliation service. The change in the leadership on each side gave fresh impetus to moves to resolve the dispute, leading to a fresh round of talks in recent weeks. For the first time, representatives of Bassa, a branch of the Transport ; General Worker’s Union, were involved.
Mr McCluskey said: “There is a change within the management psyche at British Airways driven by the chief executive. If we embrace this we are confident that the future will look good. ’’ He said: the underlying reason had been a “deep sense of grievance” that cabin crew were not being respected. He was it was not a matter of winners or losers. But he told members they could be proud of showing “the type of union solidarity that is absolutely astounding”. | Unread (Ft. com)Union views| 11 May 2011| BA and Unite union move closer to ending cabin crew disputeAgreement comes after nearly 18 months of hostilities, including 22 days of walkouts, and will be debated by BA crew at Unite meeting near Heathrow airport. Bassa, Unite’s main cabin rew branch, said in email to members: “The talks have now concluded to the satisfaction of both parties. “If the branch agrees, the negotiated settlement will be put to the full membership in a postal ballot. “British Airways and the Unite trade union have taken a significant step towards ending a long-running dispute with cabin crew after agreeing a peace deal on Wednesday. | Unread (The guardian)Union views| 11 May 2011| BBC News – BA strike: Hopes rise for end to cabin crew disputeThe long-running dispute between British Airways and some of its cabin crew may be close to being resolved. An offer will be put to a meeting of members at Heathrow on Thursday. If members endorse it with a show of hands, they will be formally balloted.
A spokesman for Bassa, the British Airways cabin crew union which is a branch of the Unite union, confirmed that “talks have now concluded to the satisfaction of both parties”. Talks between the two sides have been going on for weeks. They began in March when cabin crew voted in favour of a further round of industrial action. The union held back from announcing dates pending negotiations. | Unread (BBC news Business)Union views| 27 April 2010| Reject BA offer, Unite urges crewThe union representing British Airways cabin crew has said it will “strongly recommend” that its members reject the latest offer from the airline. Talks between the two parties failed to reach agreement, so the Unite union will now ballot members on the offer. Unite said it would not announce strike dates “at this stage”. The blame for this rests exclusively with an intransigent management which is determined to attack trade unionism and persecute its employees who supported the strike action last month,” said Unite’s joint general secretary Tony Woodley. Mr Woodley accused BA of “victimising” cabin crew who had their travel perks taken away after the strike, and of taking “vindictive and disproportionate” disciplinary action against it members. BA said it was “extremely disappointed” that Unite was “urging its members to reject our latest offer and apparently preparing for a further strike shortly after the general election campaign”. The airline accused the union of “showing callous disregard” for passengers.
It said the offer put to Unite was “fair”. BA can ill afford further disruption after seven days of strikes last month, which it says cost the airline up to ? 45m, and the disruption to flights caused by volcanic ash thrown into the atmosphere by an Icelandic volcano earlier this month. The airline is expected to announce the biggest loss in its privatised history when it reports its annual results later this year. Last year it lost more than ? 400m. | Unread (BBC news Business)Union viewsBA management views| 21 November 2010| Unite chooses McCluskey as leaderLen McCluskey has been elected leader of the UK’s biggest trade union, Unite.
His win, with 101,000 votes, will see him take over from joint general secretaries Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson who have been in post since the union formed in 2007. His win, with 101,000 votes, will see him take over from joint general secretaries Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson who have been in post since the union formed in 2007. He said: “My first task now will be to bring our union together and unite it in a campaign against the devastation the Government is unleashing against working people and their communities throughout the land. ” He was closely involved with a dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew which resulted in a series of strikes. Also briefly some of the successful jobs experienced in his historical of life.
He later became Unite’s assistant general secretary for industrial strategy. He has been a member of the Labour Party for 39 years. Unite has more than 1. 4m members and was formed by the merger between two of Britain’s leading unions, the Transport and General Workers Union and Amicus. | Unread (BBC news Business)Union views| 24 November 2010| Unite pledges ‘alliance of resistance’Len McCluskey, the newly elected leader of Unite, Britain’s biggest trade union, today put himself and his union at the forefront of “an alliance of resistance” that he promised would rock the establishment and force the coalition government to step back from its plans to “decimate the very fabric of the welfare state”.
He also claimed that an anger was building up in the country that surpassed the era of the poll tax demonstrations and claimed there was “a very, very real possibility” that the Liberal Democrats would implode as a party. In an interview with the Guardian he promised he would not be cowering in the corner, but instead would be shouting from the rooftops to force the coalition government to stop its cuts. He went on: “I am not interested in subtlety. I understand what is happening to ordinary working people – their jobs are being lost, their families and the future of their children are being threatened, their houses are being repossessed and they are looking around for someone to give them help. “There is an anger building up the likes of which we have not seen in our country since the poll tax.
I can feel something stronger than that building so it is the responsibility of the trades unions more than anyone else to give some guidance to that anger and put it in a manner that will hopefully make the government take a step back. “He insisted he would not be rushing ahead of his troops. “We have got to make people believe that people power can do anything because that is what the history of our movement tells us and indeed that is what the history of the world tells us. Quotes the examples: “[Nelson] Mandela may have taken that position over the laws of apartheid and [Mahatma] Gandhi may have taken that position over the laws of colonialism and imperialism, and the Suffragettes might have said we do not accept the law of the land.
So I do not think we should get hung up in this belief certainly as trade union leaders that the law is given down from Mount Sinai and we cannot challenge it. “. In addition, “I have got no intention of playing the bosses’ game of being dragged into cul-de-sacs and courts, and having to be fined by courts with our members’ money. He is planning a series of conferences and tracking polls to check his membership’s views. “There are good people in the Liberal Democrats who have long been on the side of decency and justice. A lot of them are deeply dissatisfied, and if we build our resistance, and that may bring pressure to bear inside their party.
The people we have to influence are the Liberal Democrats. “We have got to start putting pressure on politicians particularly the Liberal Democrats; they have to be held accountable for what they have done there. They have tried to give the impression this would be a government of consensus but where is the consensus? | Unread (The guardian)Union view on protecting human rights| 4 March 2011| Unions hail court strike rulingTwo rail unions have welcomed a court ruling that prevents minor mistakes in balloting being used to halt strikes. Examples cases happening in two rail union. Trade union leaders called the ruling a “major step for industrial freedom”.
Two strikes that were planned separately – by the RMT on London’s Docklands Light Railway and by Aslef on London Midland – were halted in the courts because of what were seen as technicalities. In the Aslef dispute, an overwhelming “yes” vote was set aside, because the employer objected to two ballot papers that had been sent to two members who were not entitled to take part. The court said in future that the information should be “as accurate as was reasonably practicable” and that allowances should be made for “small accidental failures” in administration. Richard Arthur, from the law firm Thompsons, who acted in the case, said the were a major victory for the union movement. There’s been a series of cases over the last 18 months to two years where employers have found it easier to get injunctions and the way the legislation has been interpreted by the courts has been ever more restrictive,” he said. “This case redresses that balance and interprets the legislation in the way its supposed to be interpreted. ” Keith Norman, Aslef’s general secretary, said it had been almost impossible to take legal strike action in the UK. “If the employer could find the tiniest discrepancy, the courts would find in the employer’s favour,” he said. Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, called the result a “massive victory” and said it paved the way for millions of members to take action over cuts to jobs and services in the coming months. Unread (BBC news Business)Rails Union view Rails Union view| 28 January 2011| A tsunami of resistanceThe Trades Union Congress meets today to decide how it will respond to government spending cuts. Last September, it voted to organise co-ordinated resistance to these cuts. Since then, it has been educating its members and the public about the scale and detrimental impact of the cuts on public services and the economy at large. Now, it has to turn to the issue of mobilising opposition. It is organising what it hopes will be a massive demonstration on 26 March. And while this will be an important barometer of whether there is support for resistance, the crucial issue is whether or not the unions can organise co-ordinated strike action – which is effective.
Governments can ignore one-off demos but not action that stops services and the economy. What is co-ordinated strike action? It is unions organising separate industrial disputes so that workers in different parts of the public and private sectors strike together on the same day thereby creating a political punch at the government. The idea is the whole is greater than the sum of parts. If the strikes are not aggregated together, they will remain as just the odd strike here and there. Would this be lawful? The unions are not talking about a general strike. General strikes are unlawful as they are political strikes against a government and not an employer.
But co-ordinated action would be lawful so long as each individual strike comprised a trade dispute with an employer and had a lawful mandate for action after going through the balloting and notification process. Thus, unions could not be sued for loss of business by employers. How could it happen? Despite the cuts being enforced by central government, their impact will take place at different times and with different effects in different parts of the public sector as individual employers take action to balance their books. This means it will be a difficult – though not impossible – task to synchronise all the groups of workers that want to take action.
That is why unions may move first on pension reform, because this will affect a large number of workers at the same time and in the same way. Won’t it seem that unions are just protecting their own vested interest? The downside of moving on pensions is that it is harder to portray this action as defending public services. If action was taken on redundancies, the argument could be made that reducing jobs also meant reducing service provision so that an alliance of service providers and users could be created. What about the wider anti-cuts movement? Unions have 7 million members and significant financial resources. But they will not win this battle on their own. They need to ally with others. But by the same token, others need to ally with them.
Out of today’s meeting needs to come a commitment by all unions to put their shoulder to the wheel to work effectively with campaigning organisations to create a tsunami of resistance. | Unread (The guardian)Explanation on the rightful legislation| 25 January 2011| BA strike: pilots’ union warns on safety and moraleThe leader of Britain’s largest pilot union has warned that the British Airways cabin crew dispute could endanger safety at the airline and has damaged trade unionism in the UK. Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa), said the “war” within BA could endanger safety and urged the airline to act so that “safety is not prejudiced”.
Last year a BA pilot told the Guardian that the dispute between the airline and the Unite trade union had created “unsustainable” working conditions on flights, due to the carrier using a volunteer workforce during strikes that included some pilots. He added, added that the aftermath of the cabin crew dispute could resemble the consequences of the miners’ strike in the mid-1980s, when communities were divided between strike-breakers and strikers. “After all of this is over there will have to be a process by which everyone works together again. You cannot have what happened after the miners’ strike where there are still people in villages not talking to each other. ” Unite had become a “prisoner” of its main cabin crew branch, Bassa, McAuslan added.
He also claimed that conciliation service Acas and the leader of the TUC, Brendan Barber, would agree with BA’s argument that Unite and Bassa have a “dysfunctional” relationship. He said: “I think Unite have become prisoners of a local branch that has lost the plot a bit … If you speak to Acas and Brendan [Barber] they would probably agree that there is dysfunctionality within Unite. “Unite argues that it has had no choice but to fight back against what it perceives to be a concerted union-breaking strategy at BA and believes that the dispute, originally over staffing cuts, would have been settled long ago if the airline was not determined to hobble Bassa. BA has consistently denied accusations of union breaking.
McAuslan said Balpa supported the “democracy” of the latest Unite vote but indicated that pilots would not back the dispute. Last week nearly 80% of Unite-affiliated crew at BA voted in favour of strike action, although the union is holding off from setting walkout dates after calling for renewed negotiations with the airline. Responding to McAuslan’s comments on safety, a BA spokesman said: “All of our crew are extremely professional and are trained to the very highest standards. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority and would never be compromised. “| Unread (The guardian)Public views (Balpa)Union viewsBA management views| (BA-18)January 21, 2011/ 7:21pm| FT. om / Companies / UK companies – BA cabin crew vote for more strikesBritish Airways is facing the threat of further strikes by its cabin crew after they voted heavily in favour of more walkouts, overshadowing completion of the airline’s merger with Spain’s Iberia. The Unite union said its members had voted by 5,751 to 1,579 to take further industrial action on a turnout of 75 per cent. It follows 22 days of strikes last spring which cost the airline more than ? 150m and prolongs a bitter dispute that has already lasted more than a year. The turnout among the union’s 10,220 members and the majority in favour of action of 78. 5 per cent were not far short of Unite’s two previous strike ballots.
The union held back from naming strike dates and called for more negotiationsThe result was revealed as BA finalised its merger with Iberia to create a new holding company, International Consolidated Airlines Group. Shares in IAG will be listed in London and Madrid from Monday, with BA and Iberia retaining their brands in a link-up intended to save €400m (? 337m) a year within five years and pave the way for acquisitions. The airline has said if there are more strikes it expects to fly 100 per cent of long-haul and most short-haul flights at Heathrow, as well as full schedules at Gatwick and City airports. It kept most flights operating during the last bout of strikes by using volunteer staff and hiring extra aircraft and crew.
Over the past 12 months, BA’s shares have gained 40 per cent and on Thursday closed at 283p. Len McCluskey, Unite’s new leader, said: “For the fourth time in 13 months, British Airways cabin crew have voted overwhelmingly in support of their union and expressed their dissatisfaction with management behaviour. ” He added: “This dispute will be resolved by negotiation, not litigation or confrontation, and it is to negotiation that BA management should now apply itself”. The union is seeking immediate restoration of the concessions, binding arbitration for disciplinary cases and restoration of wages docked from staff who were sick during the strikes.
BA said Unite did not have the support of the majority of cabin crew. “Of our 13,500 crew, only 43 per cent voted in favour of strike action in this ballot,” it said. | Unread (Ft. com)Union viewsBA management views| 21 January 2011| BA cabin crew vote for fresh strikesBritish Airways cabin crew have voted for further industrial action – but passengers were spared immediate disruption when the Unite trade union did not announce strike dates and called on BA to open negotiations. Len McCluskey, Unite’s general secretary designate, said BA management should “wake up and listen”, after nearly eight out of 10 crew members who took part in the ballot voted for strike action. Surely BA management must now wake up and listen to the voice of their skilled and dedicated employees. This dispute will be resolved by negotiation, not litigation or confrontation, and it is to negotiation that BA management should now apply itself. We are ready,” he said. BA has pledged to operate 100% of its long-haul services in the event of any industrial action, having built up an auxiliary workforce of thousands of crew, including more than 500 retrained pilots. Those preparations have prompted Unite and its main cabin crew branch, Bassa, to delay announcing strike dates and plans for industrial action. BA cabin crew embarked on 22 days of strikes last year including walkouts in five-day blocks.
Tactical discussions in recent weeks have looked at “guerilla-style” action – though with no peace talks planned, conventional strikes have not been ruled out. Under trade union laws Unite must begin striking within 28 days, including seven days’ notice, which gives the union 21 days before it needs to announce dates. More than 10,000 crew members were balloted and 7,335 of them voted, representing a turnout of 75% in a poll over sanctions against crew who took part in strikes last year. A majority of 78. 5% voted for industrial action, a result described by McCluskey as “overwhelming”. The previous strike vote, in February last year, attracted a marginally higher turnout and majority.
BA said the ballot result showed that Unite did not have the support of the majority of cabin crew, pointing to the fact that only 5,751 crew out of 13,500 flight attendants at BA voted in favour of industrial action. However, union sources said a more accurate comparison would be with the 10,220 crew who are actually Unite members. | Unread (The guardian)Union viewsBA management views| 21 Jan 2011| BA cabin crew vote for strikes – now Unite should call actionBritish Airways cabin crew have voted by a fantastic 78. 5 percent for strikes on a 75 percent turnout. This is an even bigger vote than in the workers’ last ballot. Their Unite union must name the dates now and launch a militant programme of action that can win. BA bosses are waging war on cabin crew. Bullying boss Willie Walsh slashed jobs in November 2009.
He has attacked pay, removed workers’ travel concessions and sacked leading union activists. BA’s ultimate aim is to destroy the union—that’s why this battle matters for the whole trade union movement. They’ve shown fantastic strength and determination throughout the dispute, taking 22 days of strikes and winning huge support from other workers. BA management have repeatedly shown themselves to be determined to break the militancy and organisation of cabin crew. It will be hard-hitting strikes that will make BA bosses listen. Crew should pile the pressure to demand that McCluskey calls a programme of strikes and throws the whole weight of the union behind the dispute. Unread ( Socialist Worker Online. (A revolutionary anti-capitalist paper I Britain)BA management views| 21 Mar 2010| Unite UnionThe Unite trade union has urged British Airways to resume peace talks as cabin crews prepare to enter their third day of strike action with both sides claiming to have landed blows in the disputeTony Woodley, called on BA’s board to reopen negotiations over staffing cuts that broke up acrimoniously last week. BA is trying to restore a normal schedule when the strike ends at midnight tomorrow, but aircraft are now out of place around the globe, threatening more disruption, and a further four-day strike is due to begin on Saturday. I am now appealing to the BA chairman and sensible members of the board to use their influence, put passengers first and return to the negotiating table for the good of everyone,” said Woodley. | Unite calls on BA to return to talkshttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/21/ba-strike-unite-call-resume-negotiations| 24 Mar 2010| British AirwayBritish Airways has stripped striking cabin crew of their discounted travel perks as a further four-day strike looms this weekend. They would not be paid for the days they failed to turn up for duty, and confirming that, as warned, their access to the staff travel scheme will be stopped from 14 April. A BA spokesperson added: “Our cabin crew knew that if they took part in the strike they would lose their staff travel permanently. BA said yesterday that around 60% of its rostered cabin crew, or 3,000 employees, turned up for work over the three-day strike – implying that 2,000 joined the walkout in total. However, the Unite trade union, which is behind the dispute, has challenged those figures and claimed that they included staff on inbound long-haul services. 3,000 cabin crew turned up for work as normal during last weekend’s strike. BA employs around 13,500 flight attendants, of whom around 12,000 are Unite members. | Striking BA staff lose travel perkshttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/24/british-airways-strike-travel| 25 Mar 2010 | British AirwayUnite had pledged to suspend a three-day strike last Saturday if the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, reinstated a peace offer that had been withdrawn days before.
His refusal to put the document back on the table, in apparent exasperation at the union’s tactics, was highlighted in the academics’ letter, with 116 signatories. It is clear to us that the actions of the chief executive of British Airways, notwithstanding his protestations to the contrary, are explicable only by the desire to break the union which represents the cabin crew. Unite’s cabin crew branch, Bassa, represents 11,000 BA flight attendants and has called a further four-day strike starting on Saturday in what is now a prolonged industrial dispute with embarrassing political consequences for the Labour party, which relies on Unite as a major donor. British Airways ‘trying to break Unite union’ http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/25/british-airways-accused-break-unite-union| 2 Apr 2010 | British AirwayAn article on the current cabin crew dispute between British Airway and the Unite union’s flight attendant branch Bassa, named Frank Burchill, a visiting professor at Strathclyde University, as the author of what we described as “a comprehensive guide to undermining Bassa’s current leadership”. That information was incorrect. Professor Burchill was not commissioned to write, and did not produce or write this document. He had no involvement whatsoever in it. | BA told to hit union ‘where it hurts’http://www. guardian. co. k/theguardian/2010/apr/02/frank-burchill-apology| 28 Mar 2010 | Unite UnionUnited national officer, Steve Turner warned British Airway’s Passengers to expect further strikes after Easter unless there is a breakthrough in the bitter row over planned cuts that sparked further industrial action this weekend. Unite said it believed BA was grounding some flights so it could use pilots as cabin crew on other BA flights, a claim denied by the airline. | Unite warns ‘disgraceful’ BA of more strikeshttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/28/unite-british-airways-strike-threat| 29 Mar 2010 | Unite UnionUnited, is digging in for a battle of attrition with British Airways after announcing that it is raising a ? 700,000 war chest for the cabin crew strikers. Unite is raising the fund through an “unprecedented” 2% levy on its 3,000 branches.
The news came as BA confirmed that some cabin crew were being docked nearly a fortnight’s wages for taking part in the walkout, raising fears among Unite officials that union members will be “starved” into crossing picket lines if, as expected, the dispute drags on past Easter. The walkout, now in its sixth day, is adding to a long list of apparently irreconcilable issues between both sides. BA confirmed some strikers were being docked the equivalent of 12 days’ wages if they were rostered for a long-haul trip during the walkoutUnite, which is paying cabin crew ? 30 a day, has agreed to pay crew for the duration of their roster duty if they walked out on a long-haul shift. | Unite raises ? 700,000 for BA strikehttp://www. guardian. co. k/business/2010/mar/29/ba-cabin-crew-strike-fund| 10 Mar 2010 | British AirwayA walkout by 12,000 BA flight attendants could begin as soon as next Thursday. A source at Unite’s cabin crew branch, Bassa, said a walkout of at least 10 days would be consideredBA was seriously considering a partial repeal of cuts to staffing levels on flights but wanted fewer crew back onboard than Unite has proposed. BA has been seeking ? 60m in annual cost savings from cabin crew. A strike could take place from next Thursday once Unite gives BA seven days’ notice of actionThe airline operates 650 flights a day with its 239-plane fleet, mostly from Heathrow, but has not said which routes would be kept open by the stand-in workforce. BA strike looms as talks break downhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/10/british-airways-strike-talks| 19 Mar 2010 | British AirwayThe dispute with cabin crew is about BA’s plans to change working practices and pay. The first three-day strike is due to begin on Saturday, affecting over a thousand flights, with a second strike scheduled for 27 March. “I believe Unite has made the wrong decision and misjudged the mood of our times,” said British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh. “My door remains open to Unite. “The union is holding a rally for cabin crew staff at Sandown Park racecourse. | Last-ditch bid to end BA disputehttp://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/business/8574383. tm| 19 Mar 2010 | British AirwayBA threatened to suspend co-operation with Britain’s largest trade union after last-ditch talks failed to prevent a three-day strike by cabin crew starting today. Tonight an extensive strike-breaking plan moved into gear at BA as the airline prepared to move 65% of its passengers over the next three days with a workforce of 1,000 volunteer cabin crew and 22 chartered jets, including three Ryanair planes complete with no-frills flight attendants. BA cabin crew have also called a further, four-day strike from 27 March if there is still no agreement by the end of next week. The first BA cabin crew strike since 1997 begins tomorrow morning after talks between Willie Walsh, BA chief executive, and Tony Woodley, joint general ecretary of Unite, collapsed in acrimony this afternoon| British Airways ‘declares war’ on union after talks failhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/mar/19/ba-strike-dates-union-talks| 25 Jan 2010 | Unite UnionBritish Airways could be reduced to operating only a few flights during a cabin crew walkout after claims that its strike-breaking workforce has just 216 volunteers. The Unite trade union said that a programme to retrain employees as air stewards during industrial action would replace less than 2% of the airline’s cabin crew. The recruitment initiative, which Unite has condemned as a “scab labour” drive, began yesterday as about 12,000 cabin crew started voting on a walkout over staff cuts.
BA has told staff with no flying experience they can qualify as cabin crew within three weeks, with pilots able to meet safety standards within five days. The airline has admitted that the emphasis will be on safety rather than customer service, and temporary crew will give passengers a “simple” in-flight experience| Union claims BA has too few ‘scabs’http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/jan/25/ba-strikebreakers-cabin-crew-protest| 22 Feb 2010 | British Airways The poll saw 81% of cabin crew backing strike action in a row over staffing cuts and proposed changes to working conditions, on a turnout of 79%. The Unite union did not announce any strike dates, but a walkout can be staged within 28 days.
A walkout by cabin crew is likely to ground most of BA’s operations, although BA is training hundreds of auxiliary crew after calling for volunteers from its 38,000 workforce. BA operates 650 flights daily, carrying around 80,000 passengers. BA unilaterally reduced cabin crew on long-haul flights by at least one person to reduce costs at an airline that posted a pre-tax loss of ? 401m last year. | BA cabin crew vote to strikehttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/feb/22/ba-cabin-crew-vote-strike| ;BA -76;23 Feb 2010 | Cabin CrewBA has pursued a dual strategy of attempting to pile on the pressure to intimidate the cabin crew members into not voting to strike, on the one hand, and to undermine the effectiveness of any strike on the other.
The anger BA staff feel is based on the unilateral imposition of the changes, the nature of the changes themselves and now the bully-boy tactics of company over the strike vote. | BA cabin crew stand up to intimidatory tactics | Gregor Gallhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/23/britishairways-tradeunions| 15 Mar 2010 | Cabin CrewIt is wrong that BA cabin crew get paid more than colleagues at other airlines. According to that argument, competition among staff means levelling down pay, while boardroom competition means levelling it up. And cabin crew bear no responsibility for BA’s difficulties, and should not be singled out to pay for them.
It was not cabin crew who organised the fuel price-fixing racket which has cost BA hundreds of millions in fines. The airline’s reputation for dirty tricks? Not cabin crew but management. | Don’t blame British Airways cabin crew | Len McCluskeyhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/15/ba-strike-unite-willie-walsh| 17 Dec 2009| Cabin CrewThe high court has blocked the 12-day Christmas walkout by British Airways cabin crew after ruling that the strike ballot was illegal. The decision means nearly a million BA passengers can complete their journeys as planned over Christmas unless there are wildcat walkouts by the 12,700 cabin crew who supported industrial action.
The dramatic intervention is a humiliation for the Unite union, which had considered delaying the announcement of a massive walkout earlier this week after receiving repeated warnings from BA executives that the vote was invalid. The high court confirmed those fears by granting BA’s request for an injunction against the strike after around 900 cabin crew were balloted despite taking voluntary redundancy. | BA strike blocked by high courthttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2009/dec/17/court-blocks-british-airways-strike| 17 Dec 2009| British Airways The basic democratic right to withdraw own labour, underpinned by a 92% yes vote on an 80% turnout. In this case, there’s not the slightest question that those mistakenly balloted half-way through taking redundancy could have changed the result.
Instead, Mrs Justice Cox has made a transparently political decision to skew the balance of power still further in favour of BA’s recklessly incompetent management. | BA strike judgment is blatantly political http://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/17/ba-strike-injunction| 11 Nov 2010| Cabin CrewVote shelved as Unite union’s cabin crew branch decides it cannot accept proposed deal to end strike“However, the Unite branch representing about 10,000 flight attendants, the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (Bassa), made it clear it could not support the deal. The joint leader of Unite, Tony Woodley, said it made no sense to offer the deal to members “over the heads of unwilling representatives”.
He added: “Under these circumstances I have suspended the ballot on the offer and will meet with all of our cabin crew representatives as a matter of urgency to consider the next steps. “| British Airways dispute continues as cabin crew ballot suspendedhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/nov/11/british-airways-cabin-crew-ballot-suspended| 11 Nov 2010| British AirwaysA plan to end a bitter, long-running dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew has collapsed. BA said the deal on offer was “fair and reasonable”. The airline’s cabin crew workers have staged 22 days of strike action since March, costing the airline ? 150m. When the dispute began in November last year, it centred on changes to staffing levels, pay and working conditions.
However, Unite has since said that the core issues are the removal of the travel concessions and the implementation of disciplinary sanctions against its members since March. BA reported earlier this month that its passenger numbers in September were 1. 3% higher than a year earlier. However, its total traffic for the year to date is still down on a year ago, following the strike action and April’s volcanic ash cloud which grounded flights across Europe. | BA peace deal with crew collapseshttp://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-11737454| 7 Nov 2010| British AirwaysAirline’s security staff found to have photographed employee’s home and car as part of internal disciplinary caseBA security staff have photographed an employee’s home and car as part of one disciplinary case.
One employee in the group, a former police detective, confirmed in a witness statement for a BA disciplinary hearing that he and a colleague travelled to a flight attendant’s house in Slough on 23 March this year and photographed their house and car. The crew dispute has led to at least 13 sackings and 60 suspensions, including senior shop stewards, for a range of alleged misdemeanours. The cases include 15 crew who used Facebook and private emails to discuss a list of strikebreakers and two shop stewards who were suspended following a clash over representing members in disciplinary cases. BA has drawn up a disciplinary process for cases “associated with the industrial action”.
Guidelines for the Leiden room disciplinary unit, named after the room at BA headquarters where cases are processed, cite three types of transgresser in disciplinary incidents related to the strikes: “bystanders, encouragers and contributors”. | British Airways draw up new discipline rules as union prepares ballothttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/nov/07/british-airways-disciplinary-rules-ballot| 31 Oct 2010| British AirwaysCabin crew to vote on British Airways’ latest offer with further strike action the only alternative to accepting the dealAbout 10,000 crew affiliated with the Unite trade union are preparing to vote on an offer that could finish a year-long row with the airline. Unite’s largest cabin crew branch, Bassa, said in an email to members that the only alternative to the deal was strike action.
The BA offer sets out a framework for restoring staff travel to the estimated 6,700 crew who took part in 22 days of strike action this year, as well as allowing the Acas conciliation service to mediate disciplinary cases. | British Airways offer ‘probably best available’, says unionhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/31/ba-offer-finds-union-favour| 24 Oct 2010| Unite UnionPoll could shift centre ground of trade union movementMembers of the country’s biggest trade union will begin voting tomorrow to choose a new leader in an election that could have profound consequences for the looming battle between the government and the nation’s workforce over its spending cuts.
The winner will take over from Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, who have been joint general secretaries since Unite was formed through a merger of the Transport and General Workers Union and Amicus in 2007. | Voting begins in crucial battle for Unite union leadershiphttp://www. guardian. co. uk/politics/2010/oct/24/voting-begins-unite-union-leadership| 20 Oct 2010| Cabin CrewUnite union to poll around 10,000 flight attendantsAirline believed to have shifted on disciplinary actionSpeaking this week at the annual convention of the Association of British Travel Agents, Walsh said it was “entirely” Unite’s fault that a settlement had not been reached in a dispute that originated in a reduction of crew numbers on BA flights in the wake of a voluntary redundancy programme.
Walsh said: “In the past I have seen managers and businesses ignore issues and back down in the face of industrial action. We are not going to do that. ” Walsh added that BA had “robust” contingency plans and would operate 100% of its long-haul services if there were further strikes. | British Airways strike: crew vote on peace dealhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/20/british-airways-strike-crew-vote-deal| 20 Oct 2010| British AirwaysSources say Unite to put proposal to British Airways union members which could end year-long row over cost cuttingTony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, said yesterday that the BA row was the most testing industrial dispute of his career.
Unite members took 22 days of strike action earlier this year, causing travel chaos for passengers and costing BA more than ? 150m. The dispute started just over a year ago after BA announced a series of cost-cutting moves, including a reduction in the number of cabin crew. As part of any deal to end the dispute, Unite has been urging BA to restore the travel concessions and stop taking disciplinary action. | BA staff to vote on deal to end strikeshttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/20/ba-cabin-crew-vote-dispute| 20 Oct 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysBritish Airways cabin crews are to be balloted on a new deal that could end their long-running industrial dispute.
The new offer was reached in talks between BA chief executive Willie Walsh and Unite joint leader Tony Woodley. The union has been pressing for the restoration of travel concessions removed from members who went on strike earlier in the year. BA said that its offer, based on its previous proposals, was “very fair and reasonable”. | BA crew face ballot on new dealhttp://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-11582609 | 19 Sep 2010| Unite UnionThe Unite union will lodge an appeal in the high court this week over BA withdrawing travel concessions from 7,000 membersBA reduced crew numbers on long-haul flights from last November after the High Court in London refused an application from Unite for an injunction against the changes. Unite takes BA back to court | Politics | The Guardianhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/politics/2010/sep/19/unite-court-ba-airline-dispute | 10 Oct 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysUnion and BA boss Willie Walsh discuss proposals to end long-running dispute with airline’s cabin crewUnite and its main cabin crew branch, Bassa, argue that the staff travel move is tantamount to punishment for exercising the right to strike. Walsh, in turn, has stated that the travel concessions are for “those who show loyalty to the company”. Walsh has pledged to operate 100% of BA’s long-haul services from Heathrow in the event of further strikes, alongside a full complement of services at Gatwick and City airports.
Walsh, a former shop steward himself, has dismissed the union-breaking claims as “nonsense” and pointed to a recent deal with Unite-affiliated customer services staff as proof that other sections of the organisation are willing to co-operate in cost-cutting plans. | British Airways and Unite meet at Acas to head off new strike | Business | The Observerhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/oct/10/unite-talks-british-airways-cabin-crew | 11 Oct 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysWillie Walsh says the Unite union wants to bring the long-running dispute ‘to an end’, after the two sides met at Acas last week| BA chief raises hopes of peace dealhttp://www. guardian. co. k/business/2010/oct/11/ba-strike-airline-raises-hopes-peace | 27 June 2010| Unite UnionMove comes as BA manager claims dispute is driven by desire to break the union and that ‘climate of fear’ pervades airlineWoodley warned today that he could not recommend the BA proposal to members because it did not fully reinstate the staff travel perks stripped from strikers who joined walkouts in March. The proposal makes some concessions – offering cabin crew a minimum allowance for food and drink, rather than a flat fee. However, it does not reverse the staffing cuts that triggered the dispute last year. Woodley indicated the offer would have been accepted had it reinstated staff travel. “The fact that the travel is not back in full makes the possibility of a recommendation nil. It makes the certainty of a yes uncertain,” he said. BA said: “We believe our offer is fair and reasonable and provides a genuine opportunity to end this dispute. “| Unite to delay BA cabin crew ballothttp://www. guardian. co. k/politics/2010/jun/27/unite-union-ba-strike-ballot | 12 June 2010| ACASA new set of proposals to end the British Airways (BA) industrial dispute has been unveiled by the arbitration service Acas. | New proposals to end BA disputehttp://www. bbc. co. uk/news/10301298 | 27 May 2010| European CourtRecent decisions by the European court of human rights may force the British government to protect strikers’ rightsPress reports suggest that a major sticking point to a settlement in the BA cabin crew dispute continues to be the company’s refusal to restore staff travel perks. If true, this could (a) reveal an extraordinary lapse on the part of the company and (b) expose an extraordinary oversight on the part of the government in relation to its legal obligations.
BA cabin crew may be able to seek compensation in Strasbourg for the losses they have suffered as a result of the company’s conduct. This means that the taxpayer would end up having to pay for the company’s actions. But second, it means that British law may have to be changed in line with the emerging body of case law to enable British workers to enforce their human rights in the British courts. Under British law, workers have protection only from dismissal (for 12 weeks) when they take part in lawful industrial action. They have no statutory protection against punitive and vindictive action short of dismissal, such as the cutting of benefits that are claimed to be noncontractual. | Will Europe save the BA strikers? | Keith Ewinghttp://www. guardian. co. k/commentisfree/2010/may/27/will-europe-save-ba-strikers | 18 May 2010| British AirwaysUnite has had to jump through so many hoops put in its way by lawmakers intent on restricting its democratic right to strikeBA won its injunction to stop the planned series of strikes that were due to start at one minute into Tuesday 18 May. Second time in six months that BA has gone to the high court seeking an injunction. It’s not just that the judge sitting in the high court has taken BA’s side on both occasions. And, it’s not just that Unite members have voted by large margins in two successive ballots to take strike action. It’s also that BA won this injunction on a “technicality”. | BA victory is an affront to justice | Gregor Gallhttp://www. guardian. co. k/commentisfree/2010/may/18/ba-victory-affront-justice | 26 May 2010| Unite ; British AirwaysNew strike vote imminent before holding talks with BA’s chief executive, Willie WalshIf BA fully reinstates the travel scheme for strikers, Unite has offered to suspend the three waves that started on Monday and are due to continue from May 30 to June 3 and June 5 -9, the last strike ending just days before the start of the World Cup in South Africa. BA said today that it hoped to run 70% of its long-haul services from Heathrow next week, compared with 60% currently, because of the numbers of cabin crew reporting for work. Woodley believes the broad outline of a deal to lower costs has been thrashed out but Walsh wants guarantees that Unite and its main cabin crew branch Bassa will support the proposal if it is put to 11,000 flight attendants in a vote. | Unite and BA talks to resume on
Fridayhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2010/may/26/unite-union-ba-strike-talks | Fri 21 Jan 2011| BA cabin crew vote for strikes – now Unite should call actionBritish Airways cabin crew have voted by a fantastic 78. 5 percent for strikes on a 75 percent turnout. Bullying boss Willie Walsh slashed jobs in November 2009. He has attacked pay, removed workers’ travel concessions and sacked leading union activists. | SOCIALIST WORKER. COMCREW| Friday 21 January 2011| British Airways cabin crew plan new tactics for industrial actionBA passengers could be spared immediate disruption even if cabin crew vote for industrial action at the airline today.
It’s understood that the Unite trade union will not announce lengthy walkouts if the result of a strike ballot, due this afternoon, returns a new mandate. BA’s chief executive, Willie Walsh, has pledged to operate 100% of the airline’s long-haul schedule at Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports, which would neutralise the effect of walkouts by staff. Union sources have acknowledged that the dispute has entered a different phase, with BA able to call on thousands of volunteer cabin crew, including more than 500 pilots who have retrained as flight attendants. | guardian. co. ukPUBLIC| Thursday 20 January 2011| British Airways strike: time to grow upBritish Airways cabin crew will announce the result of yet another ballot for strike action tomorrow.
Most commentators seem to think that they will again vote in favour – but this time there will be fewer taking part in the ballot and possibly a smaller majority. For the sake of the passengers, shareholders and all the staff, both union and management must seek an adult end to this dispute. They must both realise that key workgroups cannot be both bullied and expected to deliver either loyalty or excellent customer service. They must both realise that the problem has not gone away with any of the solutions so far suggested – in reducing crew complements by one, it is not the cost of supplying the service which has been reduced, but the level of service itself. | guardian. co. kPUBLIC| Tue 11 Jan 2011 * | British Airways cabin crew hold defiant mass meeting 15Jan11 Socialist Worker1500 British Airways (BA) cabin crew packed into a union meeting at Kempton Park racecourse on Monday of this week. Cabin crew are currently balloting for fresh strikes over a range of attacks from their bosses. The ballot ends on Friday of next week. Workers haven’t struck since June in their ongoing dispute with bullying boss Willie Walsh. But they remain in fighting mood. Before any speeches began, crew were chanting, “Willie, Willie, Willie—Out, Out, Out! ”| SOCIALIST WORKER. COMCREW | Thursday 17 December 2009| BA strike injunction could leave Walsh the winnerA bad day for democracy, said the Unite union after the high court blocked the planned 12-day strike by cabin crew at British Airways. | guardian. co. kMANAGEMENT| Friday, 18 December 2009| British Airways union Unite to call new strike voteBritish Airways (BA) cabin crew will be balloted again on industrial action after a planned Christmas strike was declared illegal by the High Court. The 12-day strike was called in protest over changes to working practices. But the judge agreed with BA that Unite had not correctly balloted its members, forcing it to cancel the action. The ballot included people who had left the company or were about to, and so was judged invalid. | BBC. CO. UKMANAGEMENT| Wednesday, 6 Jan 2010| British Airways to hold fresh talks with unionBritish Airways is to hold fresh talks with its main union in a bid to avert the renewed threat of strike action by cabin crew.
Unite said it and the airline had agreed to meet in the coming days to try to find a negotiated settlement to the row over jobs, pay and conditions. The announcement comes after a High Court judge ordered Unite to call off a planned 12-day walkout over Christmas. This prompted Unite to say it would hold a fresh ballot on strike action. | BBC. CO. UKUNION| Tuesday 30 June 2009| British Airways fails to agree deal with unions on pay and conditionsBritish Airways has failed to meet its self-imposed deadline to secure an agreement on pay and conditions for its 40,000 staff after trade union officials adjourned talks on a two-year pay freeze and 4,000 redundancies.
Both unions argue that the recession is a cyclical phenomenon that should not be used by BA as an opportunity to drive through permanent changes and a wholesale restructuring of the business. However, BA’s pilots have already accepted Walsh’s warning and have signed up to a 2. 6% pay cut in an agreement that will save the airline ? 26m. | guardian. co. ukUNION | Tuesday 30 June 2009| British Airways seeks pay freezeBritish Airways wants staff to accept a two-year pay freeze, according to documents seen by the BBC. The company had already announced it was looking for 3,000 redundancies among crew and administrative staff. Talks between unions and management to agree on cost savings were adjourned earlier and should resume on Wednesday.
BA is struggling as the economic downturn continues to hurt its business. It recently asked staff to work for nothing to save money. BA is also pushing for significant changes in working conditions. | BBC. CO. UKMANAGEMENT| Sunday 28 June 2009| Union resists ‘prostituting’ agreements as BA pushes for pay dealLoss-making airline seeks redundancies and drastic changes to conditions but Unite is determined not to retreat too farWillie Walsh, BA’s chief executive, has demanded an agreement by Tuesday after warning that “there needs to be urgency around the discussions we are having”. BA is making heavy losses, burning through cash at nearly ? 3m a day and posting ? 401m deficit last year.
BA has told cabin crew that it wants up to 2,000 voluntary