BA claim to court on strike hearing
The Unite ballot in which BA cabin crew voted overwhelmingly for strike action contained "serious and substantial irregularities", the London High Court heard today (December 16).
Bruce Carr, the airline's counsel, asked Mrs Justice Cox to grant the carrier an injunction stopping the 12-day strike due to start next Tuesday (December 22).
He told the court that the Unite union, which called the strike over Christmas and New Year, had showed "withering contempt for the interests and concerns of over one million passengers" due to fly with BA over the holiday period.
The airline believes that some of the cabin crew who took part in the ballot had already left the airline.
In the ballot whose result was announced on Monday, the cabin crew voted nine to one to strike on an 80% turn out.
The dispute is over BA's plans to cut the number of cabin crew on long haul flights from 15 to 14 which the union claims is a change in working practice -a claim the airline rejects.
BA was also due to resume talks with Unite leaders today, after the court hearing.
It has also warned that if the strike goes ahead, flights during the 48 hours before and after the stoppage would also be affected.
Len McCluskey, Unite's assistant general secretary, said: "We have taken this decision to disrupt passengers with a heavy heart and we are hoping that the company can still avoid it happening."
But BA, which is also seeking redundancies, said it would not back down on its stance.
The airline which reported a £292m loss in the first half of its current financial year said it was "extremely disappointed that Unite is planning massive disruption for hundreds of thousands of our customers over the Christmas/New Year holiday period.
"A 12-day strike would be completely unjustified and a huge over-reaction to the modest changes we have announced for cabin crew which are intended to help us recover from record financial losses.
"Unite's cynical decision betrays a total lack of concern for our customers, our business and other employees within British Airways."
The airline said its offer to cabin crew was "very fair and reasonable" adding: "It reduces no-one's terms and conditions, and gives most crew pay rises of between two and seven per cent this year and next year.
"British Airways' cabin crew are already the best rewarded in the UK airline industry."
Willie Walsh, BA's ceo, said: "A strike is senseless - and we urge Unite to draw back. We will not be reversing our changes to onboard crew numbers.
"They have allowed us to accept more than 1,000 requests for voluntary redundancy - and those former colleagues have left the business.
"Unite must understand that there can be no return to the old, inefficient ways if we want to ensure long-term survival in the interests of our customers, shareholders and all our staff.
"They have no justification for threatening such extreme action. It is very sad that they are seeking to use the Christmas holiday plans and family reunions of hundreds of thousands of people to try to pursue their case."
The hearing continues.
www.ba.com [1] www.unite.com [2]