BA customers in Easy xmas
The 12-day strike planned by ‘UNITE’ the British Airways cabin crew union for this Christmas period has been put on temporary hold as a London High court has declared as illegal such action.
British Airways cabin crew have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the strike action following a major dispute over job cuts and some major changes to staff contracts.
It was scheduled to commence from 22 December to 2 January 2010.
The action had received the crew members’ overwhelming support voting nine to one in favour of the strike action with members recording 80% turnout during the voting.
The announcement last week had rattled BA management who had been making efforts to limit the effect as the Christmas moves closer and the season’s customers’ traffic gets heavier.
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BA chief executive Willie Walsh last week said the management would look for possible options aimed at minimising the effect claiming BA would seek operational legal and industrial options to subdue the effect of the strike.
However, the legal option had placed the organisation at a laughing end as
The judge agreed with BA that the cabin crew’s union, ‘UNITE’, had not correctly balloted its members on the strike action meaning an injunction that the 12-day strike cannot now go ahead.
Sitting at the High Court, Mrs Justice Cox agreed that UNITE had included BA employees already set to leave the company in the ballot indicating that the ballot was fraught with impropriety.
The judge also refused ‘UNITE’ the permission to appeal the injunction, giving an option of the union to apply directly to the Court of Appeal.
Relieved British Airways said the court decision would be welcomed by “hundreds of thousands of families in the UK and around the world who had hoped for a peaceful journey this Christmas.
But in his reaction to the court’s injunction, UNITE” union leaders called it “a disgraceful day for democracy” and vowed to hold a fresh ballot of cabin crew if the dispute with BA was not resolved anytime now.
“There is something wrong with the law,” said ‘UNITE’ joint general secretary Derek Simpson.
He admitted that while there would be “great euphoria” among the travelling public, the union would immediately put in place plans for a fresh ballot alongside its continuing negotiations with BA.
“We’ll see at the end of the day who wins this, we will see at the end of the day proper democracy, proper justice,” added Mr Simpson.
If Unite does go ahead with another ballot, industrial relations laws would mean that fresh industrial action could not be announced until well into the New Year, a very big relief fro both BA bosses and the numberless customers.
BA had offered passengers who are booked to travel during the strike period – or 48 hours either side of it – the chance to rebook their flights at no extra cost.
Otherwise it said it would inform customers of changes to its schedules by email or SMS text.
As the announcement of the action was made last week, BA’s chief executive Willie Walsh described the decision as “very cynical” claiming it way a betrayal and lack of concern for BA customers, BA businesses and other branch of employees.
Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of the Unite union, said: “It goes without saying that we have taken this decision to disrupt passengers and customers over the Christmas period with a heavy heart.”
He stressed that the union was keen to continue negotiations.
“We will wait, ready to meet, anytime, anywhere, 24 hours a day, to try to see if we can resolve the dispute.”
. BA offered passengers who are booked to travel during the strike period – or 48 hours either side of it – the chance to rebook their flights at no extra cost.
Otherwise it said it would inform customers of changes to its schedules by email or SMS text.
Unite called it “a disgraceful day for democracy” and vowed to hold a fresh ballot of cabin crew if the dispute with BA was not resolved.
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“There is something wrong with the law,” said Unite joint general secretary Derek Simpson.
Mr Simpson and Unite’s other joint general secretary, Tony Woodley, said the dispute was “far from settled”.
“While we have never wanted this dispute, it is a disgraceful day for democracy when a court can overrule such an overwhelming decision by employees taken in a secret ballot,” they said.
“The fact remains that this dispute is not settled.”
“We’ll see at the end of the day who wins this, we will see at the end of the day proper democracy, proper justice,” added Mr Simpson.
If Unite does go ahead with another ballot, industrial relations laws would mean that fresh industrial action could not be announced until well into the new year.
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