ECJ decisions hit UK labour scene with new twist
23 May 2008
The decimating effect on the right to strike, of the recent
European Court of Justice (ECJ) decisions of Laval and Viking, has
hit the UK labour scene with a new twist today (Friday the 23rd
May).
The pilots' union, BALPA, today withdrew its case from the High
Court where it had been seeking confirmation of its' right to
strike. The union had a ballot strongly in favour of strike
action against BA, and had fully complied with UK law, however due
to the recent ECJ decisions, it feared that it could still be sued
if it proceeded to strike action. It has now dropped the case
and promised not to proceed with the strike action.
Unite shares of BALPA's horror at the potential effect on UK
rights to strike, of the ECJ's approach. We also respect
their decision to withdraw, and realise that to proceed might have
made the situation even worse the UK unions.
Unite is actively seeking solutions, both at a domestic
political, and European level, to try to reverse the effect of
these cases. We are working with the TUC, ETUC and the union bodies
and politicians to this end. This is a priority issue and we
will keep activists up to date with all developments, including the
developing strategy and campaigns.
