BA: United we stand campaign

22 June 2011: Honourable agreement ends BA cabin crew dispute - Full details of the ballot result (pdf)

12 May 2011: Unite the union and British Airways have reached an agreement to resolve the long-running cabin crew dispute at the airline. Check out the latest news and download the settlement briefing.

11 May 2011: Unite general secretary Len McCluskey to address British Airways’ cabin crew on 12 May 2011.

19 April 2011: Keith Williams and Len McCluskey, together with cabin crew representatives, had a positive meeting today, and that further discussions will be held in the near future to speed a resolution of the dispute. 

14 April 2011: Joint statement by Unite the union and British Airways -  
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and BA's Keith Williams have had exploratory talks over the last few weeks and are committed to seeking an honourable and fair settlement to the long running dispute.  

1 April 2011: Action Alert #2 - British Airways - Vote shows cabin crew remain determined (PDF).

28 March 2011: BA vote shows cabin crew remain determined - British Airways cabin crew, who are members of Unite the union, have voted to back strike action at the airline.

1 March 2011: Fourth strike ballot in two years gets underway at British Airways; Unite tells company ‘we're ready to meet, are you?’

22 February 2011: Unite gives notice to BA of a new ballot of cabin crew members - A new ballot of cabin crew at British Airways will shortly get underway.

10 February 2011: Going Nowhere - Advert in the Guardian, Mirror and Daily Mail about the reality behind the dispute.

8 February 2011: Statement from Unite general secretary Len McCluskey.

1 February 2011: Action Alert #1 - British Airways cabin crew voted last month overwhelmingly, and for the third time, to take industrial action against their employer on a number of issues relating to the company’s conduct of industrial relations (PDF).

21 January 2011: British Airways cabin crew ballot result - cabin crew members of Unite have voted in support of industrial action by a huge margin. Download the letter to members and the stewards' letter.

10 January 2011: A culture of staff being bullied and victimised has taken root at BA, a new report by Unite, the largest union in the country, has revealed: Shock findings confirm culture of bullying rife at British Airways  

29 November 2010: Regrettably Unite has not found it possible to resolve the outstanding issues concerning cabin crew. New ballot at BA as Unite says end victimisation and punishment of cabin crew – put passengers first.

11 November 2010: BA cabin crew ballot halted.

20 October 2010: Unite statement on BA offer - Unite British Airways cabin crew representatives met Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley and assistant general secretary Len McCluskey to consider a fresh offer made by the company to end the lengthy dispute.

30 September 2010: The reality of Brutish Airways - what's really happening at BA day to day - read the true story of the dispute from a member of cabin crew.

10 September 2010: Unite to consult across BA membership on union-busting - Unite is calling a meeting of representatives of all Unite BA members to set out the facts of what is happening in the company.

3 September 2010: Unite on latest passenger figures - a worrying number of passengers, in the key premium sector particularly, continue to book away from BA.

5 August 2010: URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL BA CABIN CREW  - repudiation of the call (or calls) for industrial action. Click here for more information.

2  August 2010: Talks between Unite and British Airways have taken place at Acas.

26 July 2010: Unite to challenge BA decision to remove striking cabin crew’s travel concessions - After careful consideration, Unite believes that management’s action breaches European human rights legislation.

20 July 2010: BA crew reject latest offer - Unite urges BA to hold fresh talks - joint general secretary Tony Woodley said: "Let's get round the table - let's solve the problem."

13 July 2010: BA's AGM was held in London today. Please click below to view some news from this event:
The Telegraph 
The Independent
The Guardian

Unions appeal to BA shareholders to bring peace to airline - CCOO statement on BA dispute / BA Shareholders – It’s time for peace

12 July 2010: BA cabin crew will lobby shareholders at tomorrow's AGM.

27 June 2010: Unite the union confirmed today (Sunday) that the new offer to British Airways cabin crew could lead to the postponement of the new industrial action ballot.

22 June 2010

Unite has advised BA that it has until Tuesday 29 June to demonstrate that it is willing to negotiate a solution to the fresh issues between the parties - or it will hold a new ballot of its members for strike action.

16 June 2010: At present there are no further meetings between BA and Unite planned. Acas is monitoring developments and its services remain available.

10 June 2010: The strike has cost BA more than £154 million and Unite announces that it is now preparing for a new ballot over bullying and intimidation, travel concessions and the working environment unless Walsh comes back to the negotiating table.

5th June 2010: Latest wave of strike action: Unite cabin crew are taking five days of strike action from 00:01 Saturday 5th June 2010.

30th May 2010: Strike action ongoing: Unite cabin crew are taking five days of strike action from 00:01 Sunday 30th May 2010.

20th May 2010: Unite on court of appeal judgment: The court of appeal has overturned an injunction against the cabin crew's strike over a technical breach.

URGENT NOTICE - 19:15, 17 May 2010

TO ALL UNITE MEMBERS, OFFICERS AND REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING THE INDUSTRIAL ACTION CALLED FOR

18/05/10 TO 22/05/10
24/05/10 TO 28/05/10
30/05/10 TO 03/06/10
05/06/10 TO 09/06/10

BA have obtained an injunction from the Court preventing us from taking the above industrial action. Members must neither threaten nor take any industrial action during this period, and must work normally.

All officers and representatives of the Union must do their best to ensure this message is passed on to all affected members without delay.

We are appealing the decision.

• 10 May 2010 - Strike dates announced
•  BA: The £100 million dispute

Fighting back at British Airways – airline warned Walsh's slash and burn strategy could destroy the company

Unite cabin crew members at British Airways recognise the pressures facing the company in the midst of the current economic crisis. Negotiations have been going on for over a year, but despite cabin crew being asked to make the heftiest sacrifices of all, British Airways continues to provoke cabin crew by imposing changes and refusing to negotiate openly and fairly.

LATEST NEWS - Check out the latest news updates and read the Truth about the BA dispute

Background

BA cabin crew offered changes to pay and working practices that would have made savings of more than £100 million for British Airways, but the company rejected these proposals and repeatedly walked away from talks while introducing provocative changes.

Cabin crew are the customers’ closest contact with the airline, does British Airways really want to change from being the world’s greatest airline to the world’s most basic airline?

The latest provocation came when the company called for ‘strike breakers’ to stand in for crew during a strike. Find out more on the campaign, see the latest news updates.

Unite has denounced BA's attempt to impose significant contractural changes on its cabin crew employees, and introduce a second tier workforce on poorer pay and conditions.

Unite believes the new contractural changes are an attempt to force staff to pay the price for management failings with the company wringing more and more out of fewer and fewer staff who will be paid less. 

Working hours will be extended, crew levels will be slashed, career opportunities will disappear and new starters will be brought in on bargain basement wages.  Unite says this will inevitably damage customer service and hit the brand, possibly leaving it beyond repair.

Read the full background article from the October/November 2009 edition of Unite's Workplace Reporter: BA warned to back off