Loading

New ballot to defend BA cabin crew as airline continues war against workforce

Direct News Source

22-Jun-2010 Unite, the union representing the nearly 12,000 cabin crew at British Airways, announced today (Tuesday) that it is to conduct a new ballot of members locked in a long-running fight to defend jobs and standards at the airline.

Unite has advised BA that it has until next Tuesday, June 29th, to demonstrate that it is willing to negotiate a solution to the fresh issues between the parties - or it will ballot its members for strike action.

The new dispute centres on three issues:

British Airways' failure to respect its collective agreements by using employees from other work areas within the company to operate as cabin crew on world-wide and Eurofleet routes on reduced terms. This, along with the introduction of temporary cabin crew on terms and conditions which are contrary to those agreed within the world-wide and Eurofleet agreements, is considered totally unacceptable by Unite. BA's actions have caused divisions in the workplace which will take considerable time and effort to heal.

The removal of travel assistance from crew who exercised their right to participate in lawful strike action. Unite views this as vindictive and again unacceptable. Unite is seeking the full reinstatement of this important item immediately, and without pre-conditions.

Unite also considers the disciplinary action taken against dozens of members for various misdemeanours related to the current industrial dispute as again vindictive, disproportionate and unnecessary. The union is therefore seeking the withdrawal of all disciplinary measures administered to Unite members.

Should BA fail to work with the union on a solution to the three issues, the ballot will open on Tuesday, June 29th, closing on Tuesday, July 27th.

Brian Boyd, Unite national officer for civil aviation, said: "Unite has consistently tried to find a negotiated settlement to the original items of dispute. Unfortunately there has been an unwillingness from the company to take a step back from its position of confrontation.

"These three new items have been caused by the BA's vindictive behaviour towards employees who participated in lawful industrial action and the ongoing disregard the airline is displaying towards its own workplace agreements.

"This is not the way to run a people-centred business. Even the consumer magazine Which has put BA well down the customer satisfaction list. In its recent survey of long and short haul travellers, BA sits in 18th and 23rd place respectively. This is not where BA should be and this lowly ranking is certainly not the fault of its employees.

"The cost to the company's reputation, the £154 million that by its own admission it has lost as a result of taking on its employees, and the fact that it has already imposed the substantive items of change it needed to save £60 million pounds begs the question; what is the company attempting to achieve? "As a result of its hard nosed attitude, BA will continue to lose many more customers and revenue to other airlines.

"Once again, we say to BA. Do not seek conflict. Drop the tough talk and work with us to deliver the change needed for the future and preserve the standards associated with this great airline."

Cabin crew recently took 22 days strike action in protest against the imposition of changes to cabin crew operation forced through by BA in November 2009. The issues associated with that dispute have still not been resolved. In the past six months, cabin crew have twice voted by overwhelming majorities to take strike action to defend standards at the airline.

During the last strike, it is estimated that some 70 per cent of crew rostered to work observed the call for strike action. BA alleged it flew around 70 per cent of its Heathrow passengers but its complex contingency plans meant using partly-trained volunteers as crew, deploying strike-breaking crew, flying almost empty planes, using international cabin crew who were not on strike, flying freight-only flights (BA does not operate these) and paying competitor airlines to carry BA passengers and who, in so doing, collected the associated passenger revenue.

By their own estimation, the last strike cost BA at least £154 million.