Planned BA strike (May 2010)

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

To sum up the last thing this country needs is a hung parliament but it's heading the right way about getting one at the moment.

Just going back to Gordon wading in with his condemnation of this week's strike action at BA^» (British Airways - about) and getting back to a rail based theme. Wonder whether he will condemn maintenance workers and signalman if on Friday the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) announces strike action over Easter which will affect more people than the BA strike (less severly of course).

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Tories step up attacks over Brown's union links

The Conservatives have stepped up attacks on Gordon Brown over his links with the political director of the union behind the BA^» (British Airways - about) strike.
They say Mr Brown should have given Charlie Whelan - his former spokesman - a "wide berth" yet claim he is "at the heart of Labour operations".
Shadow education secretary Michael Gove said Mr Whelan was "a sour influence".
Labour called it "a desperate attempt" to distract voters from the controversy surrounding Tory donor Lord Ashcroft.
Mr Whelan worked as Mr Brown's press secretary while he was chancellor, but resigned in 1999 over leaks surrounding Peter Mandelson's resignation over a home loan.
He is now political director of Unite, Labour's largest donor, which is behind the planned British Airways strike.
On Monday Mr Brown told the BBC the strike was "deplorable" and "unjustified", following similar comments from Transport Secretary Lord Adonis on Sunday.
But, ahead of a general election expected to be held on 6 May, the Conservatives have launched posters questioning the prime minister's links with Unite, with the slogan "Cash Gordon".
In a speech on Tuesday, Mr Gove attacked the influence of Unite - and Mr Whelan in particular - on Labour.
He said: "You would have thought prime ministers with a moral compass, who 'never engage in divisive and partisan politics' who stand on the steps of Downing Street promising to 'reach out beyond narrow party interest' would give figures like Charlie Whelan a particularly wide berth.
"Unfortunately not, because today, Mr Whelan is not just political director at Unite, he is working in Downing Street, masterminding Labour's election campaign."
Mr Gove claimed that "the dead hand of union pressure - and the sour influence of Charlie Whelan" had led to Mr Brown watering down plans for public sector reform.
Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers raised the issue of BA in the Commons, asking whether Mr Brown had "spoken directly to Unite officials to urge them to call off the strike".
She also claimed Labour had accepted more than ^300,000 from Unite on the same day that BA announced plans to strike over Christmas.
Transport Minister Sadiq Khan responded by accusing the Conservatives of "seeking to politicise what is an industrial dispute".
Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker asked Mr Khan what steps he was taking to "knock heads together" and ensure the dispute was resolved.
Mr Khan said ministers had been in contact with both sides, but it was "unhelpful if we give a running commentary".
A Labour spokesman insisted ministers had been "unequivocal in their criticism of the strike plans by Unite" and that donations from union supporters "do not buy power".
"This is a painfully obvious and desperate attempt by the Tory party to turn the tables on party funding, but the reality is they are the party that has the questions to answer. The great elephant in the room of Lord Ashcroft is not going to go away by this unsubtle attempt to create a smokescreen."
Lord Ashcroft, the Tories' deputy chairman and biggest single donor, announced at the beginning of March that he was a "non dom" - someone who does not pay UK^▸ (United Kingdom) tax on overseas earnings.
As parties step up election campaigning, an ICM poll of 1,002 people for the Guardian found that 44% wanted the general election to result in a hung parliament, in which no party has an overall majority.
Almost a third of those questioned thought a clear Conservative win would be best for Britain, while 18% favoured a definitive Labour victory.

[Tim]

To sum up the last thing this country needs is a hung parliament

If I was a Lib Dem voter, I might be keen on a hung parliemnt because it would potentially give my party the only taste of power they are likelyto get for a long time.

But for the country as a whole a hung parliment would be bad.  Trouble is I don't relish the possibility of another New-Labour victory either and whilst the Tories would be a change, I really don't trust them.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

BA^» (British Airways - about) strike: Airline and Unite union in talks

British Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh and Unite union co-leader Tony Woodley are in last-minute talks to avert this weekend's cabin crew strike.
The two sides were still talking at the TUC headquarters in London into the early evening trying to agree a deal.
BA and Unite began their surprise talks this morning, after which Mr Woodley briefed union officials for an hour.
Speaking to the BBC at lunchtime, Mr Woodley said, "we are together in a room and we are talking".
However, he said that there was still no breakthrough. "It's a very difficult set of negotiations... It's far too early to say that there will be a resolution here."
And he suggested that the BA management might be divided over the way forward. "There are internal battles within BA," he said.
British Airways declined to comment on a report from the Press Association news agency that Mr Walsh had requested the talks.
A BA spokeswoman would not comment on the resumption of negotiations. "We are not giving any running commentary on this issue," she said.
Cabin crew are planning a series of stoppages, starting on Saturday.
The industrial action has been condemned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as "unjustified and deplorable".
A BA cost-cutting plan that the airline says is necessary to reduce huge losses has been rejected.
A settlement proposal was withdrawn by BA when Unite announced dates for strike action.
Mr Woodley, Unite's joint general secretary, has said that negotiations to resolve the dispute could be re-started if BA put the settlement back on the table. He had previously accused Mr Walsh of preferring a "war" to further negotiations.
That settlement offer had included commitments on working hours and annual pay rises in exchange for the cabin crew workers agreeing to the BA's planned ^62.5m of cost cuts.
Cabin crew plan another four-day walkout beginning on 27 March.
Although the two sides are trying to edge toward a resolution, Unite on Thursday accused BA of bullying its members.
The union said BA had suspended or disciplined 38 crew members for minor infractions, including receiving and forwarding e-mails from private accounts, holding private conversations and making a joke.
A BA spokesman called the allegations "jaded" and said they had no bearing on any possible talks with Unite.
"Cabin crew under the management of Willie Walsh have been victims of a disgraceful witch-hunt," said Unite assistant general secretary Len McCluskey. "The bullying and harassment... shows the lengths BA will go to gag and intimidate cabin crew and destroy trade unionism," he added.
Back-up plans
BA has announced contingency plans that will allow it to fly 65% of its customers during this weekend's industrial action.
A total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 scheduled to operate during the first three strike dates will be cancelled.
But all long-haul flights and more than half of short-haul flights from Gatwick are expected to operate as normal.
At Heathrow, more than 60% of long-haul flights will operate, though only 30% of short-haul flights are expected to operate with the help of aircraft leased from eight rival airlines.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

BA^» (British Airways - about) strike: talks continue into the night

Talks between British Airways and the Unite union aimed at averting strike action have continued into the night.
BA's chief executive Willie Walsh and Unite's joint general secretary Tony Woodley have been in face-to-face talks all day.
But it is still unclear if a deal to avert the strike action by cabin crew is any closer.

BA strike: talks to resume later

Talks between British Airways and the Unite union aimed at averting strike action will resume on Friday, BA's chief executive has said.
Leaving TUC headquarters late on Thursday, Willie Walsh refused to say if talks had made progress on a deal.
Mr Walsh had been in talks with Unite's joint general secretary Tony Woodley for most of the day.
But it is still unclear if a deal to avert the strike action by cabin crew is any closer.

[Tim]

Returning to the politics, we already have two hung parliments in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).  In Scotland there is a minority administration and the Welsh Assembly has a Labour/Plaid coalition.  Both countries do rail better than England.

[Timmer]

Strike is on.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8576727.stm

A strike by British Airways cabin crew will go ahead after talks between the airline and the Unite union collapsed.
The three-day walkout begins at midnight, with a further four days of action set to commence on 27 March.
BA^» (British Airways - about) chief Willie Walsh said the strike was "deeply regrettable". The airline has said 65% of passengers will reach their destination during the action.
Unite's joint general secretary, Tony Woodley, said that BA "ultimately wants to go to war with this union".

Separately, railway signal workers have voted in favour of strikes in a row over jobs and safety.

Is the beginning of the end of BA?

[inspector_blakey]

Hope not...I've got a trip back to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) booked with them in May!

[Timmer]

Hope not...I've got a trip back to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) booked with them in May!

Think you will be okay then but the airline cannot go on losing money hand over fist like it is at the moment. I really think BA^» (British Airways - about) cabin crew are being sailed down the river by their union boses on this one. Its the other staff that I feel sorry for so lets hope this gets resolved quickly but I don't think it will be as Willie Walsh looks up for a fight to break the union.

[inspector_blakey]

I'll be interested to see just how well supported this weekend's strike is. Depends on what/where you read, of course, but there seems to be some suggestion that many staff aren't happy with the union's position and will be crossing picket lines. Also sounds like the union itself is anything but united about the matter, if you believe press stories about Unite/BASSA in-fighting.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

BA^» (British Airways - about) boss Walsh wants to break union, say 95 academics

Ninety-five employment relations experts have written to a national newspaper accusing British Airways boss Willie Walsh of union-busting.
They tell the Guardian that they can find no other reason for his stance over the airline's industrial dispute with the Unite union.
The academics come from a range of universities from the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) and elsewhere, including Oxford University.
BA rejects the accusation, pointing out it has been in talks for months.
The letter states the signatories have expertise in analysing the causes of industrial disputes and the dynamics of strike action.
"It is clear to us that the actions of the chief executive... are explicable only by the desire to break the union which represents the cabin crew."
It says that a victory for the company would bring "unilateral management prerogative" and an erosion of worker rights and democracy.
In a statement, BA set out several specific rebuttals of the charges.
The airline asked why, if strike-breaking was the aim, it had involved the TUC and the conciliation service Acas to try to reach a negotiated settlement with the union in the dispute with cabin crew.
It also pointed out that Mr Walsh himself had spent three days at the TUC talking with union representatives.
BA is loss-making and facing stiff competition from other airlines and needs to cut costs.
Cabin crew, represented by the Unite union, held a three-day strike last weekend over proposed changes to pay and working conditions. They are preparing for a further four-day strike, set to begin this Saturday.
They have repeatedly called for further talks with BA, and have offered their own programme of cost-reductions.
The dispute has become increasingly fractious, with the union calling BA "bullying and contemptuous" towards its employees.
British Airways said it has lost at least ^21m because of the action.

[inspector_blakey]

Well, looks like BA^» (British Airways - about) is preparing to weather the second strike period as well - haven't seen anything in the news this week about fresh talks between management and union.

I'm assuming that neither side wants this situation to drag on indefinitely, so it'll be interesting to see what happens next week once the staff are back to work.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Government 'weakness' encourages strikes, Cameron says

Conservative leader David Cameron has told the BBC trade unions "scented weakness" in the government's response to Unite's row with British Airways. He said Gordon Brown failed to back non-strikers, although Mr Brown said he wanted "negotiation" to take place.
The comments came as the latest strike by cabin crew entered a second day, with both sides claiming an advantage.
The airline has cancelled 30% of flights from the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) on Sunday, including 42% of Heathrow departures.
So far 131 flights from Heathrow and a small number of flights from Manchester, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow have been cancelled.
But the airline said services from Gatwick Airport and London City Airport would be operating "normally".
Unite has said BA^» (British Airways - about) was wasting millions of pounds by paying other airlines to carry its passengers.
Speaking to the BBC's Politics Show, the Conservative leader criticised Prime Minister Gordon Brown for failing to back those cabin crew staff who chose not to strike. He said: "I think a leader should say 'of course, if people want to go to work, they should go to work and I back them going to work'. I think the unions have scented weakness in the government and that's one of the reasons why we're seeing quite so many strikes."
He also referred to the first national rail strike for 16 years - at Network Rail - which is due to start next month.
But Mr Brown told the programme: "We want BA workers to be back at work, so we've said we don't want this strike. But we also want to make it possible for arbitration and negotiation to take place."
He said the number of days lost in industrial disputes under Labour is a 10th of what it was under the last Conservative government.
His comments were echoed by Ed Balls MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), who told the BBC's Andrew Marr show "it was complete and utter nonsense" to say that government was unable to take tough action over the strike because of the Labour party's relationship with the union.
One striker, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC a lot of those on the picket line were single mothers who did not want to be on strike but felt they had no other option. She said staff felt bullied and harassed and felt the company was trying to break the union. She said: "We give our heart and soul to this airline and that's what we're fighting for."
The company has denied the allegations.
Heathrow passenger Josh Philpotts said: "I think the strikers are the ones in the wrong. I just think that in a recession they should be grateful for a job."
But Elizabeth Larnach, whose BA flight to Glasgow was among those cancelled, supported the action and said staff were not paid enough.
BA has said it hopes to fly more than three-quarters of passengers departing from UK airports during the four-day strike, which began on Saturday.
A spokesman said: "The numbers of cabin crew reporting at Heathrow are currently at the levels we need to operate our published schedule."
Boss Willie Walsh said the airline was doing "everything possible" to achieve that and was committed to resolving the dispute.
Unite said with no sign of an agreement over changes to pay and conditions, strike action could continue after Easter, although no further action would be taken before 14 April.
The union's national aviation officer, Brian Boyd, said it was hopeful negotiations could resume before then. "We have a two-week period now over Easter where we have said to the British public that we would not be disrupting Easter holidays for families. But we're hopefully going to be speaking with the company but that'll be down to the company because, at the end of the day, if we have a resolution to this, it has to be negotiated."
On Saturday, the airline cancelled a third of departures - about 90 flights, mainly out of Heathrow.
Passengers in the US have also been experiencing problems, with several flights into and out of New York's JFK airport from Heathrow cancelled.
The dispute centres on BA's cost-cutting plans, including reducing the numbers of cabin crew on long-haul flights.
BA estimates that last week's three-day stoppage cost the company ^21m.

[inspector_blakey]

This one has all gone eerily quiet in the last few days. I wonder what's going on.

Can anyone who knows more about industrial relations law than I do enlighten me on this question...? As I understand it, there is only a certain length of time that a ballot for strike action remains valid. I'm sure I read somewhere that any new strike dates based on the current ballot would have to be announced by 8 April, with the action beginning no later than 15 April, but can't find the news article where that was published.

Are those assertions correct? If there's only a day left to announce a fresh strike I'm a bit surprised there has been no word from either side about this. I'm asking mainly out of self-interest - flight booked for 5 May! Which assuming that story about industrial action having to start by 15 April is correct, means I'm probably in the clear, barring an all-out strike, given the time that a fresh ballot will take to organize. Just not sure if it is factually correct...

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

BA^» (British Airways - about) strike: talks between airline and union resume

Talks between British Airways and the Unite union aimed at resolving the cabin crew strike have resumed, Unite has said.
Joint general secretary of the union Tony Woodley said "serious progress" had been made and discussions would continue over the next few days.
Cabin crew went on strike for seven days last month over pay and working conditions.
On Wednesday, BA said the strikes cost it between ^40m and ^45m ($61m-$68m).
Unite said talks with BA had resumed over the Easter weekend and are ongoing.
"It is welcome that talks have resumed and I am pleased that some serious progress has been made over the issues that have divided us," said Mr Woodley.
He added that no further strike dates would be set while the talks continued.
In its latest traffic statement for March, BA said it managed to fly 79% of long-haul flights and 58% of short-haul flights during the strikes.
Its monthly traffic figures also showed the airline carried 14.6% fewer passengers than in March last year.
About half of the fall was as a result of planned winter capacity reductions, BA said.
BA and the Unite union are in dispute over the airline's cost-cutting plans, which include reducing the numbers of cabin crew on long-haul flights.
Analysts say BA needs to bring down its costs significantly.
The airline is expected to announce the biggest loss in its privatised history when it reports its annual results later this year. Last year it lost more than ^400m.
The financial impact of the recent strike not only includes lost revenue, but the cost of hiring in planes and crew, as well as buying seats on rival carriers.