Macho management pushing British Airways to the brink
15th December 2009
Statement by Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley, joint general
secretaries of Unite, on the British Airways dispute: “Christmas
travel on British Airways is being held hostage by a macho
management which prefers imposition and confrontation, or even
litigation, to negotiation.
“Last Friday we offered to suspend any industrial action and
declare a ‘pause for peace’ if the company would only agree to
suspend its imposition of new terms and conditions on cabin
crew.
“Willie Walsh turned this offer down flat. Confrontation,
not negotiation, is his approach, even though an industrial dispute
will cost the company vastly more money than his projected savings
from attacking cabin crew conditions.
“It should be clear that BA does not have a problem with Unite,
although it may prefer to present it as such.
“It has a problem with its own core employees – highly-skilled
and loyal professionals who believe they are being bullied by the
company. It is these employees who, by an overwhelming
majority, have voted to stand up to this bullying and give the lie
to the claim that they are only being asked to accept small
changes.
“If British Airways want to get Christmas back on schedule, and
values its relations with its own core employees, it will now take
up our offer: Suspend the imposition of contractual changes
and we will suspend the strike.
“That is the choice – a pause for peace or madhouse macho
management .”
ENDS
Find out more on the
BA: United we stand campaign
