Transport secretary must investigate standards on strike-busting BA planes

Unite is calling on the minister to put two essential questions to the airline. Firstly, BA must demonstrate to him that they have taken all steps to ensure that those who are working on the planes have cleared stringent UK national security checks, checks which normally take three months to process. Secondly, BA must show that strike-breaking crew have been vetted in accordance with the security requirements of BA's destination countries, and that these countries have been properly advised of BA's intention to use fast-tracked stand-ins. Unite also wants these assurances to be placed in the public domain so that passengers can be confident that standards have not been compromised.

The union has approached the minister following the failure of Transec, the government body responsible for transport security, to respond to Unite's letter of concern sent in January this year when BA first announced its plans to train strike-breakers. Unite had asked Transec to check that BA was complying with all safety and security checks.

Unite's concerns about BA's plans deepened when it emerged that strike-breaking crew would board as passengers only to present themselves as crew when the plane was in the air. On landing, they would then resume passenger status to clear immigration. It is thought that this plan would allow the strike-breakers to bypass all working visa requirements and vetting procedures. Unite says that if this is not the case, then BA must make that clear to the minister.

Unite also believes that the secretary of state must be assured that those embassies which issue working visas, such as the US Embassy, have been fully informed by BA of their intentions, and be satisfied that the airline is complying with their criteria for crew who pass through their airports.

The letter to the secretary of state says:

"This sector (aviation) is of national importance, and has rightly been given significant support by your government. Unite is now writing formally to you request an urgent investigation by your department into the rushing through of stand-in cabin crew and ask that you take all steps to assure yourself, the government and the travelling public that, during this dispute, corners have not been cut in the standards which govern our aviation industry.

"Irrespective of the views ministers may hold on the nature of this dispute, we know that your first concern is to ensure that the travelling public does not suffer. Therefore, we are urging you as secretary of state for transport to demand that BA responds to you urgently on these two principal matters of concern, giving you total assurance that no corners are being cut with passenger safety and security in this country or in any of the BA designation countries. We also urge that these reponses are placed in the public domain to encourage wider public assurance.

"BA's desire to break a lawful dispute - twice voted for by our members, so strongly do they feel about their futures - must not lead to the dilution of long-standing aviation standards. We therefore ask that your department urgently reviews the arrangements BA has put in place in respect of the above matters and takes all necessary steps to give the public confidence that standards in this important industry will be safeguarded."

Unite also repeats its serious concerns over the quality of training which can inevitably be provided to a fast-tracked crew - and its worries that BA's plans to drop standards during the strike could set a dangerous precedent for aviation.

"Experienced, professional cabin crew save lives, a fact that has been proven on many occasions whether in times of aircraft emergency or in relation to individual passengers suffering a serious ill health emergency, such as in New York just last week. 'Volunteer' crews simply will not have the expertise to deliver such care, placing the travelling public at serious risk should an incident occur, and setting a dangerous precedent for tolerating lower standards which other airlines may seek to follow.

"Deservedly, UK aviation has a world-wide reputation for high standards in both it operations and the calibre of people employed, and BA in particular embodies these values. It would be hugely damaging for our global reputation were these qualities to be sacrificed by one company's pursuance of a conflict and not negotiation"

Unite has repeatedly called upon BA to re-table the offer to crew that it withdrew last week. In response, BA has said that if it does re-table any offer, it will be a poorer one, making strikes this weekend inevitable.