Pilots condemn 'nonsense' claim in cabin crew dispute
24-May-2010 Commenting on reports that members of BA cabin crew are saying that a deal cannot be done with BA because the airline's pilots object to travel perks being restored to cabin crew, Jim McAuslan, General Secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) said:
'It is nonsense to claim that pilots are doing anything to prevent a settlement. Indeed, to avoid making a bad situation worse, we have stayed neutral throughout this dispute despite the huge damage to the company's reputation and the very real risk that it poses for the future of all employees. We have encouraged both sides to reach agreement and helped initiate the new coalition government's attempt to bring the two sides together.
'Such claims by some cabin crew members are a deliberate attempt to drive a wedge between the two communities - cabin crew and flight crew - at an already difficult time.
'The accusation is untrue and has been confirmed as such by Willie Walsh.
'Anyone who knows the CEO will know he is his own man and will not take instructions from one staff group against another.
'The claim also seeks to shift the blame for the lack of resolution to this dispute onto pilots' shoulders and away from where it should be.
It is regrettable that the BASSA branch in Unite should resort to such tactics.'