Unite rules out strike by BA cabin crew at Easter
20th January 2010
Unite will not call strikes at British Airways over the Easter
holiday should further industrial action be sanctioned by the
membership in the course of the dispute between BA cabin crew and
the airline, the union said today (Wednesday).
Unite announced earlier this week that, since talks with the
company have yet to produce a settlement to the dispute over crew
levels and working conditions, it was to hold a fresh industrial
action ballot of its approximately 12,000 BA cabin crew
members. This ballot will open on January 25th and conclude
on February 22nd.
Len McCluskey, the Unite assistant general secretary leading
negotiations with the company, said: "It was never the intention of
Unite and its BA cabin crew membership to call industrial action
over Easter.
"I want to make it abundantly clear that, if industrial action
receives the required mandate from the members and strike action is
made necessary by continuing management intransigence, we will not
call such action over the Easter holiday period. We are
making this announcement now so families can plan their travel
arrangements in confidence.
"It remains our hope that this dispute can be resolved through
negotiation, without the need for strikes at any time at all.
But this can only happen if BA management wake up and realise that
treating their greatest asset - skilled and professional employees
- as enemies is the road to ruin. You can't fly planes on
management machismo."
ENDS
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