Unite to consult across BA membership on union-busting
10 September 2010
Statement by Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley on
British Airways:
“Unite remains committed to finding a settlement to the cabin
crew dispute at British Airways, as it has from the
beginning. In the course of negotiations we have offered the
company everything it wanted and more in terms of cost reductions
and changes in working practices.
"The company for its part has always claimed that it wanted to
put the interests of passengers first. However, it has
continued to prolong the dispute by insisting on collective
punishment of cabin crew who took strike action with the removal of
staff travel concessions, and through the draconian use of
disciplinary procedures to sack and suspend crew members, including
many union representatives.
"In recent weeks, these suspensions have escalated, with two
reps recently suspended simply for attempting to represent other
crew facing disciplinary action. Around 80 crew have now been
sacked or suspended, often for the most trivial reasons.
"It is now clear that agreed procedures are being abused for
purposes of trying to destroy trade unionism among cabin
crew. It was my view from the start that this, not cost
reductions, was BA’s real agenda and looking at the company’s
recent actions unfortunately I have been proved right.
"This behaviour makes a mockery of commitments Willie Walsh
entered into to ensure that disciplinary procedures would not be
conducted in this way. It undermines the credibility of all
company commitments and is not the action of a management looking
to resolve the dispute.
"This is no longer a matter for BA cabin crew alone. If
trade unionism is smashed among cabin crew, then we can be sure
these methods will be extended to other groups of unionised BA
employees. Indeed, broader industrial relations are already
being disrupted, for example by the refusal of BA to allow cabin
crew representatives to attend meetings relating to BA’s massive
pensions problems, an issue we have been working closely with the
company to help resolve. How on earth can this be in the
interests of the company?
"I am therefore calling an early meeting of representatives of
all Unite BA members to set out the facts of what is happening in
the company, in particular what I believe, in the absence of any
serious proposals from the company to settle the dispute, is a plan
to eliminate Unite from a sizeable part of the company and
weakening the position of the union in the remainder, and to
discuss the need for a coordinated and concerted union
response.
"While it remains my hope that an agreement can be reached with
the company, BA’s conduct makes it inevitable that we prepare for
other outcomes.”
Unite has around 30,000 members at British Airways.
ENDS
For further information please call Andrew Murray on 07773 764
455 or Pauline Doyle on 07976 832 861
Email to a friend
