A last-minute court order prevented yesterday’s planned strike action by British Airways (BA) cabin crew, but the Unite union plans to go to the Court of Appeal today to overturn the ruling.
The High Court ruled the walkout by 12,000 cabin crew had to be called off and upheld BA’s claim that Unite had not followed strict legislation on industrial action.
BA said it was “delighted” that the “extreme and unjustified” strike could not go ahead.
The union said: “Unite cabin crew members at British Airways recognize the pressures facing the company in the midst of the current economic crisis. Negotiations have been going on for over a year, but despite cabin crew being asked to make the heftiest sacrifices of all, British Airways continues to provoke cabin crew by imposing changes and refusing to negotiate openly and fairly.” Unite's joint secretary, Tony Woodley, added that “irrespective of how many technicalities the company found”, it would not stop the union balloting its members again. He said: “Because of the far-reaching consequences of this injunction for all trade unions, and indeed for our democracy, we are seeking leave to appeal immediately.”
BA CEO Willie Walsh met Woodley and Unite’s other joint secretary, Derek Simpson, at the conciliation service Acas yesterday, and more talks could be held. Walsh said he hoped the injunction would give the union a chance to reconsider the “very fair” offer BA had made.
Source: Katerina Kerr, IFW News, 18 May 2010