BA cabin crew to hold 20 days of strikes - union

[bigdelta 46]

Action due to start May 18, run until June 9

 

* BA says action unjustifiable

* Plans to operate substantial part of longhaul services

By Michael Holden

 

LONDON, May 10 (Reuters) - British Airways (BAY.L) cabin crew are to hold 20 days of strike action in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions threatening weeks of misery for travellers, the Unite union said on Monday.

 

BA said it aimed to operate a substantial part of its scheduled longhaul services and flights from two London airports would be unaffected.

 

The action, to be staged over a four-week period, will be the third wave of strikes by BA staff this year. Walkouts in March caused chaos for passengers over the busy Easter holiday period and cost the company millions of pounds.

 

Unite said the first strikes would begin on May 18 and run until May 22. Then there will be further walkouts on May 24-28, May 30-June 3 and June 5-9.

 

"Passengers and investors alike will be dismayed that British Airways management rejected an approach by the union over the weekend, after their offer had been comprehensively turned down by their own employees," Unite's joint General Secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley said in a statement.

 

"Cabin crew are left with no choice but to take further strike action," they said, adding the seven days until the first strike gave BA bosses sufficient time to reopen negotiations.

 

Unite said it would also hold a further ballot of BA cabin crew for industrial action over issues arising from the company's conduct during the dispute.

 

The union, which represents about 90 percent of BA's 12,000 cabin crew, said 81 percent of those balloted had voted against BA's latest offer last week. [iD:nLDE6461DA]

 

 

NO JUSTIFICATION

 

BA said: "We are confident that many crew will again ignore Unite's pointless strike call and support the efforts of the rest of the airline to keep our customers flying."

 

It said flights from London Gatwick and London City airports would be unaffected, and it aimed to operate much of its longhaul services from London Heathrow.

 

"We are speaking to a number of carriers about leasing in extra aircraft to support our shorthaul schedule and also obtaining thousands of seats from other airlines to help our customers rebook if their original flight is cancelled," BA said, adding details of the revised Heathrow schedule would be announced four or five days before the strike begins.

 

BA, which last month sealed its long-awaited merger with Spain's Iberia (IBLA.MC), is aiming to save 62.5 million pounds ($97 million) a year to counter falling demand, volatile fuel prices and greater competition.

 

It has estimated the seven days of walkouts in March cost it 45 million pounds and that last month's volcano ash-related disruption cost it around 20 million a day in revenue.

Edited May 17, 2010 by LTGTR

[sick buffalo 15]

They should all be sacked and cute, hard working, polite young Asian ladies hired in their place...

[Regyai 415]

Anyone who doesnt believe pigs can fly

 

 

Hasnt seen BA cabin crew

 

 

 

:)

 

 

 

.

[MrMango 671]

Anyone who doesnt believe pigs can fly

 

 

Hasnt seen BA cabin crew

 

 

 

:)

 

 

 

.

Right on - Just like the American carriers.

[Regyai 415]

Astounds me when those trolleys that they push are designed to be the optimum size to transit the aisles without twating all the aisle seat passengers as they pass.

 

Why then if the flying pig's arse is wider, do they employ them?

 

 

.

[pattaya_mad 208]

another good reason why I will never fly BA again, and I think many people will feel the same way, I think these striking crew members will be in for a very nasty shock when their company goes to the wall.

[jacko 8,815]

another good reason why I will never fly BA again, and I think many people will feel the same way, I think these striking crew members will be in for a very nasty shock when their company goes to the wall.

Use of 'another' noted and concur.

[ozijeff 9]

Still havent heard of any BM's admitting to using BA!

Edited May 16, 2010 by ozijeff

[pattaya_mad 208]

I have flown with them, and to be honest it was "ok" but a follow up booking a year later let me sweating when they threatened a walk out , in the end it didnt happen but I vowed never to use them again because of endless strike threats.

[bigdelta 46]

UPDATE 2-BA wins court bid to block strike, talks go on

* Judge cites "balance of convenience"

* Unite union says to appeal decision (Updates after court ruling)

By Daniel Fineren and Michael Holden

 

LONDON , May 17 (Reuters) - British Airways Plc (BAY.L) won a legal bid on Monday to block a threatened five-day strike by cabin crew members, though unions said they would immediately appeal the decision.

 

The first of four five-day walkouts had been due to begin at midnight, but will now not go ahead as planned.

 

BA's lawyers had argued that the Unite union had broken the law on a technicality over the way it had conducted the strike ballot.

 

In the end, Justice McCombe granted the order against the union. He said the "balance of convenience" in his view required the granting of an injunction.

 

In a statement, BA said it would aim to restore a full flight slate at London's Heathrow airport by the weekend, pending any further disruption from the volcanic ash cloud.

 

It had originally anticipated operating only 60 percent of long-haul flights out of Heathrow over the strike period and 50 percent of short-haul flights.

 

BA called upon Unite to "take this opportunity to pause and focus on achieving the early and peaceful end to this dispute which the traveling public and all our employees want."

 

The union, however, said it would appeal the decision as early as Tuesday.

 

The dispute with cabin crew over pay and conditions has already resulted in seven days of strikes in March, which cost the airline 45 million pounds.

 

Unite said on Sunday it had reached agreement in principle with BA over its plans to save 62.5 million pounds ($91 million) a year to counter falling demand, volatile fuel prices and greater competition.

 

Earlier the union's joint leader Derek Simpson said it was "not beyond the bounds of possibility" that a deal could be struck.

 

"One of the jobs that needs to be done is to provide reassurance and some confidence that if we do a deal, the deal sticks," he told BBC TV.

 

"There has to be resolution. It would be sad to see either the company collapse and capitulate, or it would be equally sad to see our members dragged back to work in defeat. It shouldn't be allowed to get to that stage."

 

The union has said the main sticking point to a deal was the restoration of travel perks taken away from staff who went on strike in March and other disciplinary matters.

 

BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh said the travel perks were not the issue.

 

"This is not about travel concessions; this is about a dysfunctional trade union," he said. "I'm an optimist at heart and I hope that common sense will prevail and this strike action will be called off."

 

Britain's new transport minister Philip Hammond, who met both parties on Monday, urged them to keep talking.

 

"Think about the long-term interests of the UK, the UK traveling public, the employees and the airline, because actually they are all the same," he told BBC radio. (Additional reporting by Peter Griffiths, Adrian Croft and Matt Scuffham; Editing by David Cowell and Gerald E. McCormick)