BA strikers feeling the pinch

Tuesday, 09 Jun, 2010 0

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

As union Unite completes its 22nd 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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Dinah



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