海角大神

UK union's proposed strike could destroy British Airlines

Unite, Britain's self-proclaimed largest union, lost its bid to stop British Airways from changing their cabin crew staffing. The union is now threatening to strike. 

In the High Court this month, Unite听听their attempt to have British Airway鈥檚 change in cabin crew staffing levels declared illegal. Unite argued that the reductions in cabin crew numbers were detrimental to workers鈥� conditions, in breach of their contracts. However, Sir Christopher Holland held that the negotiations and collective agreements were 鈥榙iscursive鈥� rather than 鈥榗ontractual鈥�, so were not 鈥榓pt鈥� for incorporation. In other words, BA cabin crew did not have a contractual right to the existing staffing levels. Furthermore, BA has the right to make 鈥榬easonable鈥� alterations to the conditions of newer staff if they give sufficient notice. BA鈥檚 鈥榣ess-than-extreme changes鈥�, in light of their financial situation, 鈥榗annot be condemned as unreasonable鈥�.

Unsurprisingly, Unite used safety concerns to dramatise their cause. However the levels proposed by BA are well above Federal Aviation Authority recommendations (American guidelines are applicable because the jets being flown are of American design). Furthermore, Unite 鈥榰nwillingly鈥� agreed in November to work to these standards voluntarily, pending the outcome of February鈥檚 litigation. So just how dangerous have the last four months been? Was my safety put at risk when I flew BA in December? Although having an extra trained person on hand will marginally improve safety, Sir Christopher understood that the difference can 鈥榯 justify the cost when the airline is suffering financially.

After the judgment, Len McCluskey, the assistant general secretary at Unite, was adamant that further industrial action was on the table. True to his word, earlier this week, 80.7% of BA cabin crew, on a 78.7% turnout, balloted to strike. This time, there will be no prospect of the High Court declaring it illegal. Of course, being neither a shareholder nor an employee at British Airways, there is hardly any pressure on Mr McCluskey to call off the disastrous action he is forcing on BA 鈥� his job and salary at Unite are about as safe as they come.

Unite seem to want to stop BA鈥檚 managers from managing the company. Their website 鈥溾�� proposals they made to heal the financial woes at BA, but the 鈥減lans鈥� simply wont save enough money. Moreover, according to Friday鈥檚 judgment, a large cause of the breakdown in negotiations has been the infighting within Unite. The cabin crew contingent in Unite鈥檚 membership has come from both the TGWU and Amicus, and the divisions that drew the factions apart twenty years ago have engendered 鈥榤utual rivalry, hostility and mistrust鈥�.

Unite accuses BA of creating a 鈥榯wo-tier workforce鈥�, in which new recruits are offered 鈥榖argain-basement wages鈥� (known to you and I as 鈥�10% above market rate鈥�), as well as merit-based, not seniority-based, promotion structures. These are sensible moves being made by management in an effort to manage the company. They are being blocked by a Union that can鈥檛 even manage its own affairs.

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