Unite secures Irish Congress of Trade Unions support for striking
British Airways workers
25 March 2010
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has issued
a strongly worded statement in support of UNITE members currently
involved in industrial action at British Airways. The Irish
trade union movement has also pledged to resist any attempt to use
Irish airports or aircraft to attempt to break the strike.
Proposing the statement, which was unanimously
endorsed by the full executive council of the ICTU, Jimmy Kelly,
Irish Regional Secretary of UNITE said “the whole of the Irish
trade union movement is appalled by the tactics pursued by British
Airways management, led by Willie Walsh who has long since
discarded his own past as a trade union representative. Unite
members in BA can count on the support of their Irish union
colleagues. Walsh’s gross intimidation tactics will not break
the resolve of decent honest workers and there will be no place in
Ireland for any strike breaking planes.
The full statement of the Irish Congress of
Trade Unions reads as follows:
The Executive Council of the Irish Congress of
Trade Unions has unanimously condemned the “disgraceful tactics and
behaviour” of British Airways management and called on them to
engage immediately with the UNITE trade union to negotiate an
acceptable settlement.
Speaking after the meeting, Congress General
Secretary David Begg said the dispute at British Airways
represented “the classic race to the bottom scenario, which has
neither regard nor respect for the workers in the airline who have
given total commitment to building and strengthening the
company.”
Mr Begg said there should be immediate
negotiations with UNITE – the union representing the affected
workers – to forge an acceptable deal. “Remember, in the
longer-term a negotiated deal is more sustainable than the
essential short-termism of an imposed outcome,” he said.
The Congress Executive Council also agreed
that Irish unions would ensure that Irish airports would not be
used in any attempt to ‘break’ the BA strike.
End
Further information:
Macdara Doyle, Irish Congress of Trade Unions:
+353(0)18897777 or Rob Hartnett, UNITE (Ireland)
Press Office: +353(0)86 3851955
