BA cabin crew dispute to continue
27 April 2010
Unite remains in dispute with British Airways after the failure
of negotiations with the company to produce an acceptable agreement
to end the company’s confrontation with its cabin crew, the union
announced today (Tuesday).
The union will ballot its 12,000 cabin crew members on the
company’s latest offer, with a strong recommendation that they
reject it.
In view of the continuing disruption to BA’s operations caused
by the Icelandic volcano eruption and the fact that many passengers
remain stranded abroad, the union is not announcing any further
strike dates at this stage.
Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary, said: “It is
disappointing that talks with the company have concluded without
producing an agreement we can recommend to cabin crew. However, the
blame for this rests exclusively with an intransigent management
which is determined to attack trade unionism and persecute its
employees who supported the lawful strike action taken last
month.
“Despite important progress made in a number of respects,
management has refused to budge on victimising cabin crew who had
their travel concessions withdrawn as a result of the strike. It is
also taking vindictive and disproportionate disciplinary action
against union members in defiance of the words in the agreement
they are asking us to endorse.
“These and other actions call into question the sincerity and
integrity of management’s promises and the value of the other
commitments negotiated with them. I believe British Airways is
seeking to break trade unionism among its cabin crew by a process
of bullying and humiliation. This we cannot and will not
accept.
“In my view this represents a major failure of industrial
statesmanship on Mr Walsh’s part. At a time when British Airways
needs stability, and when agreement was in reach, he has decided to
put it all at risk for the sake of management machismo and a desire
for revenge.
“So I am asking all British Airways cabin crew to stand up for
their union and their own sense of dignity and self-respect and
reject the offer in the forthcoming ballot. Should they do so, I
hope management will at last come to its senses and negotiate a
sensible agreement.”
The consultative ballot of BA cabin crew members will be
conducted by the union in the course of the next week.
ENDS
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