09 June 2010

BA strikers feeling the pinch

Hard up British Airways cabin crew are beginning to wane in their support for the strikes, according to reports.

As union Unite completes its 22^nd day of industrial action today, and ends the current five-day walk out at least until after the World Cup, there are whispers that chief executive Willie Walsh might be winning his war of attrition with crew.

A Unite spokesman told the Financial Times people were "skint" and needed to go back to work although many still believed it was important to use the leverage so far achieved by the industrial action.

Meanwhile University of Hertfordshire industrial relations expert Gregor Gall told the FT that there was a "hard core" who wanted to keep the strikes going and a "far less enthusiastic group who are wearying under the financial hardship."

Walsh has repeatedly sought to undermine the strikes by hiring extra crew, encouraging cabin crew to cross the picket lines and revealing better than expected scheduled take-off figures out of Heathrow.

Conciliation service ACAS has pencilled in dates for talks but no resolution is in sight as the two parties are in deadlock over the restoration of travel perks taken from strikers by Walsh.

Ironically, most other disputes about pay and conditions have now been settled.

Walsh says his determination to stand firm against the strikes comes from a need to be able to be free to make further cost cuts in future, in order to balance the carrier’s books again, without fearing instant strikes.

Meanwhile Unite must now decide whether it plans to ballot crew again for July strikes.

by Dinah Hatch

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Your Comments (7)

BA Staff are idiots - go back to work

Why should BA restore travel perks? It is made clear from the moment you join that they are not included in your work contract and are exactly that, a perk. My mother retired from BA some years ago with travel perks for life, but they changed it a few years down the line to equal the length of service and she only has a few years left. But that's how it is. But she also said that her friends on the current staff have been subject to a terrible campaign of harassment and intimidation, and many have felt they had no choice but to strike (there have been a few incidents that would make your hair curl, apparently). But if the strike is no longer about pay and conditions, is it even legal for them to continue to strike? They should get back to work while they still have a job. Thousands of others are not so lucky, They will sure as hell find it difficult to get another one.

By Jill Parsons Parsons, Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Unite - Give up or join the dole queue

It is time for Unite to realise they are killing BA; an airline already in debt to an amount that would have caused any normal company to have been closed down and sold off long ago! Unite - give in now or there will be no BA this time next year and you won't have any jobs to strike over!!!!

By Allan Glasscock, Thursday, June 10, 2010
Yay BA!!

Keep going BA - many are behind you - better a BA to work for than no BA!!

By Richard Daneel, Thursday, June 10, 2010
hold out olive branch

Come on Willie you have the unions on the rack, hold out the olive branch and restore the staff travel perks four to six months down the road providing there are no more strikes. Macho management is as bad as militant trade unionism, let's put an end to this nonsense and get back to normal.

By Mr P Doyle, Thursday, June 10, 2010
Willy take NO more crap!!!

Well done Willy, stick to your guns. Before long the banks will want there mortgages paid, they will cross the picket line in the end. The union won't pay their strikers bills every month. I have no sympathy for them . Willy give them all till 5pm today to cross the line and for those who don't sack the lot, plenty of other hard working people who lost there jobs in the past year through no fault of their own would work for BA.

By mark white, Thursday, June 10, 2010
Their own fault !

I have no sympathy for the cabin crew , they were told they would lose staff travel if they went on strike ,and they are acting like spoilt kids who have had their lollipops taken away ! The BA contract states that staff travel concessions are a privilege and can be with drawn at any time , and this is what has happened ! It is a great job and well paid , they should be grateful for it, I know I was BA crew for 20 years !!!

By Tim Kenworthy, Thursday, June 10, 2010
Give up

Unite, give in, you know it makes sense

By Kenny Picken, Wednesday, June 9, 2010