British Airways 'trying to break Unite union' in cabin crew dispute | Business | The Guardian British Airways British Airways 'trying to break Unite union' in cabin crew dispute Joint letter to Guardian from 95 leading academics says BA's radical agenda could erode workers' rights across UK Thursday 25 March 2010 09.47 EDT First published on Thursday 25 March 2010 09.47 EDT Close This article is 6 years old British Airways is attempting to "break" the Unite trade union in a battle with cabin crew that could erode workers' rights across the UK, according to a joint declaration by more than 100 leading industrial relations academics. In a letter to the Guardian , professors from the London School of Economics and other universities accused BA of having a radical agenda in a dispute that is set to enter its second weekend of strikes with no peace talks on the horizon. Unite had pledged to suspend a three-day strike last Saturday if the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, reinstated a peace offer that had been withdrawn days before.

His refusal to put the document back on the table, in apparent exasperation at the union's tactics, was highlighted in the academics' letter, with 116 signatories. "It is clear to us that the actions of the chief executive of British Airways, notwithstanding his protestations to the contrary, are explicable only by the desire to break the union which represents the cabin crew," they wrote in the letter. "What other possible interpretation can there be for Willie Walsh tabling an inferior offer to BA's previous one or indeed of his marshalling of resources, including those of bitter industry rival Ryanair, to undermine the action of his staff?" Unite's cabin crew branch, Bassa, represents 11,000 BA flight attendants and has called a further four-day strike starting on Saturday in what is now a prolonged industrial dispute with embarrassing political consequences for the Labour party, which relies on Unite as a major donor. BA is claiming success in facing down the strike. It mustered an effective auxiliary schedule during a three-day strike last weekend, including 1,000 cabin crew and 22 chartered jets from carriers including Ryanair.

This weekend, BA claims it will do even better by running seven out of 10 long-haul services from Heathrow. A BA spokesperson said the airline had gone to extraordinary lengths to secure a peace deal, including talks at the TUC and Acas, the mediation service. He added: "We reject any suggestion that BA's objective is to break the union. We have been in talks with the union for over a year, we have worked with the TUC and Acas and the company's chief executive has appeared at talks in person to try to reach a negotiated settlement. We have also been able to reach deals with the trade unions representing our engineers and pilots." According to sources close to the talks, BA would need to secure a compromise agreement by around 2pm on Saturday in order to have a chance of reinstating its normal flight schedule. The general secretary of the TUC, Brendan Barber, has been attempting to find common ground between both sides this week but so far there is no sign of a renewal of talks. BA's confirmation this week that it will strip all striking cabin crew of discounted travel perks has caused further friction between the airline and Unite, which now wants the move reversed as part of any deal.

"Any agreement to end this dispute must and will include a framework for the full restoration of those travel concessions," said Unite's joint general secretaries, Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley. With no sign of a breakthrough, the academics warned about wider consequences if BA faced down Unite: "The wider significance of a triumph of unilateral management prerogative would be a widening of the representation gap in UK employment relations, and a further erosion of worker rights and of that most precious of commodities – democracy. For all these reasons, BA's cabin crew and their union, Unite, deserve our support rather than knee-jerk vilification." Trade union sources have said the massive publicity afforded the strike, including the intervention of Gordon Brown, has obscured the fact that both sides were close to a deal over cuts to staffing levels on flights. BA has stated that the three-day walkout last weekend cost the airline at least £21m, and Walsh has already asked for Unite to find further savings among BA cabin crew to compensate for that loss.

Union officials in dispute over jobs and changes to working practices say network will 'effectively be closed down' Published: 25 Mar 2010 British Airways: Cabin Crew Strikes British Airways: Cabin Crew Strikes British Airways: Cabin Crew Strikes Question : A presentation covering the following points should be prepared: Provide a brief introduction to the organisation (it is acceptable to withhold the name of the organisation). 1. Describe the problem, as much as possible in terms of the observable or measurable symptoms it manifests, for example: employee unrest, frequent industrial action, high absenteeism, workplace bullying/harassment, low morale, loss of profit, sabotage etc. 2. The issue/problem should then be considered and analysed in terms of concepts/models/theories drawn from any two topics studied as part of this subject. To give some examples, your group may choose to adopt different negotiation tactics, change the existing recruitment and selection method, or re-design jobs, or arrange special training program and so on. Try to choose the topic that seems to offer the most useful insights into the problem. Topics must be taken from HRM course. 3. Design a change program or set of activities and procedures utilising some aspect or aspects of your analysis (actual action plan).

The change program should be intended to solve or improve the situation. Answer : Introduction The British Airways (BA) is mainly comprised of British Airways Plc and other subsidiaries such as the British Airways Holidays Limited. At present, it is one of the leading airlines with a massive network across the globe. BA is catering to the needs of passengers and freight services in more than 72 countries through 149 destinations. The airlines carried up to 70 million passengers and almost 2000,000 tonnes of cargo. The UK based airline network recruits up to 85% of its employees from its own country. Details of the Cabin Crew Strike at British Airways An industrial dispute broke out in the spring of 2010 between the airlines and Unite. The latter is UK general union comprising more than two million members. Apart from the employers and employees, this dispute also involved political parties, media, government and the customers. Till today these strikes have been a concern for the company and is currently dealt by its management. An effective solution for the same has not been settled but the magnitude and occurrences of these strikes has reduced considerably.

The review below shows an analysis of how the entire story started and how it has been going on till today. The British Airways has 13500 flight attendants out of which 12000 are Unite members. A whopping 81% of the cabin crew staff who were the members of Bassa, Unite’s cabin crew branch voted for industrial action. It occurred in February 2010 to oppose the proposed staffing cuts and change of working conditions. This entails a former ballot towards the end of 2009 that advocated 12 days of strike action. It was challenged by BA in the high court that granted the request for an injunction against this strike. It was based on a balloting error that violated the Trade Union Act of 1992 (The Guardian 2014). The mentioned ballot was basically a reply to the unilateral decision of the airline in reducing cabin crew by one person on long haul flights. It was to lower down costs based on a last year pre tax loss of £ 401 million. Unite replied to cabin crew with the claim that such ruling marks that extent to which law is used against the interests of the working population.

It shows how a determined employer with limitless resources frustrates your actual right by withdrawing labour at the last moment in an effort to make sure your voice is heard. Despite large scale negotiations, no further progress touched the ballot in Feb 2010 for resolving such disputes (The guardian 2010). Analysing the key issues and fallout of the strike During March 2010, seven days of strike action occurred during two different occasions. The airline responded by taking a number of steps. Firstly, it withdrew the perks of discounted travel for air stewards that were a substantial benefit. Secondly, cabin crew from different airlines, used volunteer crew and chartered jet were borrowed. Some of BA pilots substituted for the striking cabin crew. After such actions, BA reported of the bill likely to be £45 due to the strike action. There also reports of carrying up to almost 400,000 less passengers compared to a year ago during same period which shows a decline of 15%. Another airline Ryanair reported a rise of 23%.

BA hired planes and crew staff from rivals for operating 79% of long haul flight schedule and 58% of short haul trips during the seven days strike period (BBC 2011). The main cause of the dispute is related to the management’s efforts in lowering the operating costs. It is due to fall in demand, rising competition and increasing non labour charges such as fuel prices. Labour costs form a major cost in the airline industry and is one of the key reasons for making profit. The cabin crew forms the biggest part of the workforce. For lowering the cabin crew costs by up to £140 m annually, BA management suggests on employing newer crew on minimal favourable terms and conditions. They’ll be on a separate fleet freed from costly and unaccommodating demarcation lying between cabin crew hired for short haul and long haul services. Reportedly, Unite grew insecure that new workers would be excluded from collective bargaining with existing employers. Thus, the workforce could be divided despite the permission to join the union. They’ve also suspected the new workforce of facilitating the integration of low paid workers, work intensification.

There was also an insecurity that new fleet is a plan to occupy the best profitable routes for marginalizing existing workforce (Afed 2010). Even though these plans could be significant for workers, Unite won’t participate in discussions on new fleet suggestions. This is due to fears of pre emptive strike likely to be inducted and serve a basis for legal action by the airline. BA also made further proposals for cutting down the operation costs. It includes doing away with seniority mechanism of promotion and reshuffle of cabin crew functionality. They also have plans to bring payment structure in line with their competitors who as per reports pay cabin crew less than BA (Eprints 2011). The claims and counter claims on the result of the strike action stood as a distinctive feature of the dispute. For example, BA had claims of support weakening for supposed industrial action. It was based on their observation that during the second of these two strikes, more of the cabin crew was busy working and more flights were also operating. Chief Executive of BA, Willie Walsh claimed that the airline had over 60,000 passengers across 470 flights on Saturday during the second strike.

On previous Saturday, the numbers were 43,000 on 350 flights. Len McCluskey responded to such claims marking them a grand con trick of British Airways. He further said that BA is making these claims after spending millions of pounds bay dumping passengers on other carriers. Passengers expecting to go on their trustworthy BA airline will be transferred to carriers they’ve probably never heard of. They’ll be serviced by a group of low graded pilots and managers pretending to be a crew. BA inflicts a trash on its brand in its desperation to divide the workforce, expressed McCluskey (Constant Contact 2011). The media has played a role here in structuring mass opinion. It has acted as an outlet where these claims and leaks of confidential information were pitched to solidify the position of respective parties. This strike also received the attention from the political quarters. It took place in a run to a general election in UK where Conservative Party chief David Cameroon attempted to gain political mileage. He expressed that PM Gordon Brown has displayed a weak point in his attitude to deal with a dispute. It is a failure to come in the aid of the non strikers and supporting the unions (WSWS 2010).

Brown responded by calling the strike as deplorable and unjustifiable. He observed it not in the interest of the masses and urged to call off proposed strike action. As per some reports, the government was also afraid of the political consequences springing from this industrial action and their impact on election results. This was particularly with reference to the climate of rising unemployment .The vulnerability of job losses was clouding the public sector during the subsequent months. Due to these conditions, Brown had been reportedly desperate in his attempts to settle the dispute. An intriguing build up to the dispute was the claims of certain commentators. They said that the plans of the airline’s management in terms of second fleet, responding to strike and approach to further negotiations lead to a planned effort to divide Unite by macho management. It was seeking to dissolve the strength of the union which has been a feature of fraught history of industrial relations in BA (Reuters 2010). BA was particularly accused of being forcefully intervening in their refusal to restore pre-strike peace offer. Unite said that it could have been forming the basis of a deal to finish the dispute but they provided a worse offer in order to regain the money lost in dispute by the new revised deal. According to BA, these claims are unacceptable.

They are of the belief that Unite and their cabin crew branches had many opportunities to reach an agreement on cost reducing programme. Unnecessarily, they’ve opted to pursue strike actions, said BA. Unite floated warnings that the clash was watering the seed of a lengthy internal conflict in British Airways. After the settlement of the recent dispute, Unite expressed that a sense of mistrust and ill feeling will penetrate within the management, their members and within the employees. Similarly, it will also take place between the strikers and the ones who decided to pass the picket lines. This will also not spare the pilots who were filling in as the cabin crew during the industrial strike (Daily Mail 2010). Change Program or a set of activities to fight the Cabin Crew dispute In order to deal with this problem, the management has deployed several policies and underwent through various changes as per mutual agreed standards between the management and the cabin crew members.

In order to ensure that the company does not get into similar problems in future, some of the possible recommendations to be abided by would include: Involve Cabin Crew in the decision making process: Management of British Airways has many a times been criticized for their rigid stand against the policies and implementation of changes without the consent of their employees. In order to ensure that they do not face stiff opposition to any changes which they wish to implement within the organization, the airline would need to take the cabin crew on board. Giving importance to the cabin crew and getting them in confidence for the decisions the management proposes would be very important (Socialist Party 2010). Empathy: British Airways would need its management to consider the qualities which make great executives and have the characteristics of being aggressive, tenacious personality which can create resolutions to all the labour disputes. It would need to create an environment where the cabin crew members are given the confidence that the management cares for their causes and addresses them with prime importance. Empathy can serve as a great touch for preventing strikes and the trained mediators would serve the organization well.

Conclusion After evaluating the case of British Airways and the cabin crew strikes which had been a concern for the airline for many years now, it is well understandable that labour relations are a critical element for profitability of an organization. If organizations do not pay heeds to worker interest and try to enforce their decisions, it is more than likely to impact their progress and business efficiency. Further, British Airways seems to have responded in a stronger manner and has better measures in place today. The rate of such unrest have been brought down to the minimum and the company is constantly working on ensuring that such situations do not arise again.

References The Guardian 2014, British Airways Strike Action Threat Pay Claim, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from The guardian 2010, British Airways Cabin Crew Strike, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from BBC 2011, British Airways cabin crew vote to strike again, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from Afed 2010, BA Cabin Crew Strike Again, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from Eprints 2011, Creating a Sustainable Work Environment in British Airways: Implications of the 2010 Cabin Crew Dispute retrieved on 13th January 2015 from Constant Contact 2011, Working Together A Joint Settlement Between British Airways and Unite the Union, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from WSWS 2010, High court outlaws strike at British Airways, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from Reuters 2010, British Airways battles cabin crew strike, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from Daily Mail 2010,

 BA suspends union militants for Facebook and email 'intimidation' of strike-breaking pilots, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from Socialist Party 2010, The truth behind the British Airways cabin crew strike, retrieved on 13th January 2015 from British Airways strike: What happened to the pledges of international solidarity?

- World Socialist Web Site World Socialist Web Site Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) British Airways strike: What happened to the pledges of international solidarity? By Julie Hyland 24 March 2010 If one wants to understand how businesses and governments are able to impose job and wage cuts and other austerity measures, despite popular opposition, the dispute at British Airways provides the answer. BA cabin crew are involved in a series of strikes against the airline’s attempts to rip up existing conditions. As part of its planned merger with Spain’s Iberia airline aimed at consolidating their market share, BA is seeking to impose £80 million in cuts and shed thousands of jobs. The airline began its offensive in November when it arbitrarily reduced the number of crew on long-haul flights. BA also plans a two-year pay freeze, as well as introducing new contracts on lower rates of pay for new recruits.

According to a BBC interview with a cabin crew member, who has worked for the airline for more than 30 years, “If existing staff want promotion, they will have to join the new fleet which earns only a flat rate of £2.60 per hour flying pay, with no meal allowances, overtime or long-range payments paid.” The management’s offensive has the support of the Labour government. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has denounced the strike as “unjustified”, while Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the government “deplored” the action. The strike has also been opposed by the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, with Tory leader David Cameron calling for political backing to strike breakers. The media too is overwhelmingly hostile. Despite two separate ballots receiving a massive majority in favour of action, cabin crew are routinely denounced for holding the company to ransom. One commentator even equated the strike with terrorism. More important from a practical standpoint, BA has been able to draw on vital support from its business partners. During the three-day strike over the weekend, the airline spent millions mounting a strike breaking operation.

BA hired some 25 planes from other airlines and charter companies, together with pilots and crew, to enable it to run some of its short-haul services from Heathrow. The budget airline Ryanair is one of those providing “wet lease” charter assistance—aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. Similar arrangements have been entered into with other low-cost airlines such as Jet2, Astraeus, Titan, Euro Atlantic, Transavia, Viking and Arkefly. Iberia laid on support to run plans between Heathrow and Madrid. Contrast this with the response of the trade unions covering the global airline industry. On paper at least, the Unite trade union has more extensive international contacts than BA. These connections potentially have far more clout than BA CEO Willie Walsh could even dream of. Ostensibly representing the very people that enable the various airlines to run efficiently and safely on a daily basis, the unions could bring the entire industry to a standstill and wreck the best laid plans of BA and any other airline. This is especially vital at a time when airline workers internationally are facing a combined assault on their jobs and conditions.

French, German and Italian airline personnel have been involved in industrial action against the same type of attacks as those being forced through at BA. In Ireland hundreds of cabin crew employed by Aer Lingus have been summarily sacked. Unite briefed its overseas counterparts on the BA dispute as far back as November, just four days before the first ballot by cabin crew returned an overwhelming majority in favour of industrial action. A meeting of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), involving 751 unions, in 154 countries with a combined membership of nearly five million took place that month. Further discussions were held at the European Transport Workers Federation (ETF) conference in Spain in December and again at a conference of the ETF’s cabin crew section in Belgium in February. Numerous pledges of “solidarity action” with BA staff and “sympathy” for their cause were made. In addition to the ITF and ETF, the Australian Transport Workers Union, Germany’s Ver.Di, along with their counterparts in Europe, North America and Asia were said to have expressed their support. Just days before the first BA strike commenced, Unite’s national officer for aviation, Steve Turner, flew to the United States to hold talks with Teamster officials.

A statement from the Teamsters pledged to “stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at Unite who are fighting for a fair contract at British Airways… ITF affiliates around the world are mobilizing to support British Airways workers in their fight for passenger safety and worker respect.” There is widespread sympathy and support amongst airline workers internationally for their British colleagues and this is an important factor in the pledges made by the various unions. But whatever else was discussed between Unite and the Teamsters, or any of the other unions, solidarity action was definitely not on the agenda. While BA management organised a European and global wide strikebreaking effort, the unions ensured there was no co-ordinated international response by their members. Using typical weasel words, ITF aviation secretary Gabriel Mocho had pledged that member unions would “mobilise to support” the BA strikers. “That means whatever expression of solidarity they feel is within their power and within the laws of the land where they are located. The cabin crew are being supported in this by everyone from air traffic controllers to refuellers to ground and flight staff, and they want to do what they can to back their colleagues in BA.” The reference to the “laws of the land” is a red herring.

All it means is that while BA management acts with impunity to break a democratically-mandated strike, the unions have allowed it to get on with the job. BA could boast in a statement at the weekend that its strikebreaking operations were “continuing to work well… around the world. There has been no evidence of industrial action at any overseas airport directed at British Airways flights.” Earlier this week, the British media reported that workers employed by Air France were to strike later this week in solidarity with staff at BA. In reality, the trade unions involved—which include the Stalinist-led CGT—are working to ensure that any walk-out is conducted entirely separately from the action in Britain, and is strictly limited to supposedly “French” issues. No doubt the union bureaucracy hopes to utilise Air France’s desire to seize competitive advantage from the BA dispute to achieve a deal with the company. This is in line with the policies of the trade union bureaucracy internationally which works to suppress and sabotage the resistance of the working class. The objectively necessary, and crucial, development of an international offensive by the working class against the attacks of global capital can only take place through a political and organisational rebellion against the trade unions.

Strike begins as talks between BA, union collapse - Boston.com Europe Strike begins as talks between BA, union collapse Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley speaks to the media outside the Trade Union Congress headquarters in London, Friday March 19, 2010, after last ditch talks to avert a strike by cabin crew collapsed. Chief Executive Officer of British Airways, Willie Walsh, said it was "deeply regrettable" that the union declined to accept a proposal on pay and working conditions from the airline, adding that offer would be withdrawn once the strike begins, but Woodley said that BA "does not want to negotiate and ultimately wants to go to war with this union." BA said it expects to operate around 65 percent of its scheduled flights over the next three days. (AP Photo/Sang Tan) By Jane Wardell AP Business Writer / March 20, 2010 E-mail this article Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: LONDON—A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew affecting thousands of travelers began Saturday after last-ditch talks between the airline's management and union leaders collapsed.

The walkout has forced BA to cancel thousands of flights, but it still hopes to operate around 65 percent of its international schedule over the period. The Unite union has gathered some support from unions in the United States, Germany and Spain for its action -- taken to protest a pay freeze and changes to working conditions -- but the other unions have so far stopped short of pledging direct action that would affect BA's ability to refuel and service its planes. A total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 flights scheduled to operate during the walkout will be canceled, but the airline has leased planes and crew from rival carriers to take up some of the shortfall. At its Heathrow base, more than 60 percent of long-haul flights will operate, but only 30 percent of short-haul. At Gatwick, all long-haul flights and more than half the short-haul flights will run as normal. "Tens of thousands of BA people stand ready to serve our customers," said BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh.

"BA will be flying tomorrow." Adam Huberman of Issta, a flight and tour agency specializing in trips to Israel, said he was taking 60 to 80 calls a day from passengers planning to travel to Israel before Passover, which starts March 30. He said the strike couldn't have come at a worse time. "It is the busiest time of the year," he said, adding that the agency had put on some flights of its own. "Some will be able to go but fares are obviously higher because it's so last minute." Among others whose plans were affected were the Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Band from Wales, who are scheduled to play in a wind band festival at Carnegie Hall in New York on Tuesday. Their scheduled Saturday flight was one of the ones BA has canceled, but after television and radio appeals -- and a letter to rival virgin Atlantic -- BA managed to get them onto alternative planes. Picket lines will be mounted over the weekend at several entrances to Heathrow, but Walsh said he had "no concern whatsoever" about the threat of solidarity actions in other countries. The U.S. International Brotherhood of Teamsters urged travelers to find alternatives during the strike.

"We are keenly aware of British Airways' operations in the United States and the cities served by the airline," the Teamsters, who represent 40,000 workers in the aviation industry, said in a statement. "We continue to look at this situation as it evolves and are keeping our options open." Walsh said it was "deeply regrettable" that the union declined to accept a proposal on pay and working conditions from the airline, adding that offer would be withdrawn once the strike begins. Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley said that BA "does not want to negotiate and ultimately wants to go to war with this union." The prospect of travel chaos in Britain in the run-up to the Easter break also intensified with news that railway signal workers voted in favor of a strike, joining rail maintenance workers. The Rail Maritime and Transport union has not called dates for a walkout of both groups of workers but has refused to rule out the Easter long weekend. The prospective industrial unrest is an unwelcome turn of events for the ruling Labour Party on the eve of a national election. Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the strike to be called off immediately.

"The Prime Minister believes that this strike is in no one's interest and will cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers," his office said in a statement. "As the country struggles out of the recession, the last thing we need is the unions holding the country to ransom," said Theresa Villiers, the opposition Conservative Party's transport spokeswoman. BA argues that the disputed changes -- including a pay freeze in 2010, a switch to part-time work for 3,000 staff and a reduction in cabin crew sizes from 15 to 14 on long-haul flights from Heathrow airport -- are critical for its survival. Unite argues it was not properly consulted on the changes. BA said Friday it had offered to modify the changes, even though they had been approved by Britain's High Court, but Unite had declined to put the offer to its members to vote. Analysts estimate that BA has already lost more than 25 million pounds because of canceled tickets and the cost of contingency plans, which include leasing fully crewed planes from other airlines. Unite has a second, four-day walkout planned to begin March 27 and has said more strikes will be scheduled for after April 14 if the dispute is not resolved.

It has pledged not to walk out over the busy Easter period. ------ AP Reporter Jill Lawless in London and Sam Hananel in Washington D.C. contributed to this report. © Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Q&A: What's the BA dispute about? - BBC News BBC News Q&A: What's the BA dispute about? 12 May 2011 Close share panel Image caption The dispute between BA and some of its staff has been long-running and bitter The long-running dispute between British Airways and some of its cabin crew could be close to a resolution after the airline and the Unite union reached a deal on some of the key issues. What is the latest development? British Airways and the Unite union have come to an agreement to settle their long-running industrial dispute. As part of the deal BA has agreed to restore travel concessions to staff who went on strike and to award some lower-paid employees top-up payments. Why is this important? Both issues were at the centre of the bitter dispute so to have progress on these two sticking points means a final resolution might be produced in the ongoing saga. Has anything else been announced?

Yes, as part of the deal, cabin crew would receive a two-year pay rise worth up to 7.5%. This is expected to be dependent on staff meeting productivity targets. When did the dispute begin? The dispute started back in October 2009, when BA reduced the number of cabin crew on long-haul flights from 15 to 14 and introduced a two-year pay freeze from 2010. The Unite union said this would hit passenger services, as well as the earnings and career prospects of cabin crew.

BA's years of industrial turbulence 2009 Oct 6: BA announces 1,700 cabin crew job cuts and pay freeze Dec 14: Cabin crew announce 12-day strike after thousands of staff vote by a ratio of 9-1 for action Dec 17: High Court rules strike cannot go ahead after BA wins legal challenge 2010 Jan 21: Cabin crew vote for fresh strikes, but action halted by new legal wrangling Mar 28: Cabin crew vote by a ratio of 8-1 for strikes in new ballot April 14: BA and Unite agree a 28-day extension before any further strike action is called May 11: BBC discloses that dispute is on the verge of resolution following breakthrough in talks What has been at the heart of the dispute? When it started it centred on changes to staffing levels, pay and conditions. However, following walkouts in March last year, BA removed the travel concessions of workers who took part in the industrial action, with some also facing disciplinary action. Earlier this year, the union said the dispute was now about four issues.

It wanted a restoration of travel perks in full, arbitration through Acas of all cabin crew disciplinary cases related to the dispute, and restoration of pay to those genuinely sick during the dispute. It also wanted a full discussion about how BA had handled industrial relations within the company. What travel perks do BA workers get? BA staff, as well as their family and friends, can buy tickets for 10% of the full fare price. They all have to travel standby, so they only get to travel if there are empty seats. The longer they have worked for the airline, the higher up the standby list they get. BA has offered to reinstate the perks of striking staff, but only at the level of new joiners, so they'd be at the back of the standby queue. BA said that seniority would only be restored on the condition of good behaviour for the next three years. Why has BA made changes to staffing levels, pay and working conditions? BA said it had to restructure and permanently reduce its costs. Over the past few years, air travellers have been switching to low-cost airlines, especially during the recession. This was particularly true of business travellers who were traditionally BA's core customers. What happens now?

The agreement is to be put to a ballot of about 10,000 union members over the next month, with a union recommendation for acceptance. The ballot process will start next week with the result expected by the end of June. Union Renews BA Talks Bid | UK National News, 16/03/2010 16/03/2010 Union Renews BA Talks Bid Union bosses representing disgruntled British Airways cabin crew have said they are ready to talk to the airline again. Workers are set to stage a seven day walkout this weekend in protest at working conditions and lay offs. BA flight attendants will take to the picket line for three days from the 20 March, then staging for a further four days from 27 March. Yesterday Prime Minister Gordon Brown described the industrial actions as "unjustified and deplorable". A Unite spokesperson said this morning: "Unite is ready to meet BA. But the company needs to put its offer of last week back on the table.

"If BA thinks that strikes are going to be avoided with a worse offer, the company is conning the travelling public." Unite accused BA of "still trying to bully and bludgeon its way through this". "We need a serious approach to addressing cabin crew’s concerns," said the spokesperson. "Our representatives on the ground are confident the strike will have overwhelming support among cabin crew, despite the company’s bullying and harassment, which risks poisoning the atmosphere on BA flights for years to come." Reacting to the publication by BA of its strike-breaking flights schedule yesterday, Unite said: "BA should enter this schedule for the Booker Prize for fiction. It is an accomplished work of fantasy." (PR/GK) Related UK National News Stories Click here for the latest headlines. 07 October 2009 Airlines are going into freefall - if today's double jobs threats are cleared for take off. Unions representing British Airways cabin crew are planning an emergency meeting after the airline said it would cut 1,700 jobs and freeze pay.

10 May 2010 BA Strike 'Ready For Takeoff' As if the airline industry isn't being hard hit already with volcanic ash closing airspace, leaders of British Airways (BA) cabin crew are now considering calling fresh strikes. The news comes after the rejection of a deal aimed at ending their long-running dispute. 29 March 2010 Unite, the union representing disgruntled British Airways cabin crew, has claimed the airline's pilots are now earning an additional £166 per hour. Unite said the pay changes makes them the world's most expensive on board staff. 18 January 2010 Fresh BA Crew Ballot British Airways cabin crew will hold a fresh ballot on possible industrial action, the Unite union has confirmed. Officials said a vote will be held after the latest round of talks with BA management failed to produce a resolution. Cabin staff are angry at a change in working conditions and mooted job cuts. 17 December 2009 BA Strike Stopped By Court A proposed 12-day strike by British Airways cabin crew was deemed illegal at the High Court today. BA won an injunction against the action after claiming the union ballot wrongly included staff who were being made redundant.

Talks between airline bosses and union officials ended without a resolution yesterday. 16 December 2009 BA Opens Talks With Union British Airways and union officials have agreed to talks aimed at averting a walk-out by cabin crew over the festive period. Unite is expected to meet with airline bosses later this afternoon, but the 12-day strike action, due to commence on 22 December, remains in place. However, BA has pledged to challenge this decision through the courts. 24 January 2007 BA strike delayed for 24 hours A strike by British Airways cabin crew has been postponed for 24 hours. The TGWU union, which is representing the staff involved, said that the strike had been called off as a "goodwill gesture" to allow more time for further negotiations. 28 April 2008 Second Day Of Grangemouth Strike Staff at Grangemouth are beginning the second day of a two-day strike. It is believed that up to 1,200 staff took up the strike action in a row over pensions, which began at 6am on Sunday.

Grangemouth powers the BP-controlled Forties pipeline at Kinneil processing plant, which provides a third of the UK's daily oil output. 23 February 2010 BA Workers Back Picket British Airways cabin crew have voted to take industrial action against their employer. The Unite union said a ballot of its members had resulted in overwhelming vote for strike action in a long-running dispute over imposed changes to crew numbers and working practices. 04 December 2012 400 British Airways Jobs To Be Cut 400 senior cabin crew positions are to be cut by British Airways, on both long and short-haul routes It said that all the redundancies would be voluntary and that it had started a 90-day consultation process. The first cuts are expected to take effect from next March. 26 May 2003 Spanish peacekeepers die in plane crash More than 60 members of Spain's armed forces, who had been deployed as peace keepers in Afghanistan, have been killed following a plane crash in Turkey. The plane, a Ukrainian Yak 24, crashed into a mountainside in the early hours of this morning. Weather conditions were poor and visibility was limited to 10 metres due to heavy fog.

15 December 2009 British Airways has launched legal action in a bid to stop a planned 12-day strike by cabin crew staff in a protest over new working practices over the festive period. 17 May 2010 BA And Union To Hold Strike Talks British Airways (BA) and Unite the union will meet today to try to prevent the latest series of strikes by its cabin crew. The meeting is to be chaired by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) at 4pm today. BA boss Willie Walsh and Unite General Secretary Tony Woodley are also to meet with Transport Secretary Philip Hammond. 15 March 2010 Brown Attacks Unite Over BA Strike The Labour party leader has 'turned on' a leading trade union and slammed their planned walk-out. Prime Minister Gordon Brown used a radio interview this morning to hit out at the Unite union as talks with its leadership failed to produce a breakthrough and a three-day stoppage by airline cabin crew looms for this weekend. 12 March 2010 British Airways cabin crew will stage a seven day walkout over pay and work conditions, workers' union Unite has confirmed.

Flight attendants will strike for three days from 20 March and for four days from 27 March. Northern Ireland Weather Today: A cloudy morning but most places dry, just a little drizzle likely over the hills. During the afternoon some brighter spells are expected to develop across the southwest and then edge northwards. Mainly light southerly winds. Maximum Temperature 9 °C. Tonight: Remaining generally cloudy across eastern parts with a little drizzle over coasts and hills. In the west some clear spells are expected, leading to patchy frost and fog. Minimum Temperature -1 °C. British Airways promises to fly 60% of passengers during strike | Business | The Guardian British Airways British Airways promises to fly 60% of passengers during strike Unite union says it will suspend walkouts if BA puts a previous offer back on the table for negotiation British Airways aircraft at Heathrow airport.

Photograph: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images Monday 15 March 2010 21.02 EDT First published on Monday 15 March 2010 21.02 EDT Close This article is 6 years old British Airways has pledged to fly six out of 10 passengers to their destinations during a looming cabin crew strike next weekend, as the dispute escalates into a political row between the Unite trade union and Gordon Brown. Unite has offered to suspend the strikes due to begin on Saturday if BA resubmits a peace offer. Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite , told Sky News: "If the offer is back on the table there is no reason why the strikes cannot be suspended." BA has so far declined to reinstate the offer, despite the intervention of Acas, the conciliation service, which has asked both sides if they will draw back from confrontation if the document is put back on the table. Last night BA indicated that the offer will only be reinstated if Unite recommends acceptance to members. "Tony Woodley is not saying that he would recommend it. He is not saying that he would accept it. BA has been threatened with strikes for months.

We are fed up with the uncertainty and we are not going to put up with it," said a BA spokesman. The offer, which includes a partial repeal of the staffing cuts at the heart of the dispute and a three-year pay deal, has already met with opposition from Unite's cabin crew branch, Bassa. In a document circulated to 12,000 BA cabin crew, Bassa said: "In our opinion it was far from a good offer, some nice words, but not much substance." Gordon Brown yesterday used his harshest words yet to condemn the strike, even though it is being led by the union that bankrolls Labour. Brown has been in contact with Woodley and BA's boss, Willie Walsh, in the past 48 hours, as well as the TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, in a desperate attempt to find a settlement. Speaking on the BBC, Brown called for the strike to be called off: "It is the wrong time, it is unjustified, it is deplorable. We should not have a strike.

It's not in the company's interest, it is not in the workers' interest and it's certainly not in the national interest." The union has given Labour £11m in the past four years, prompting the Tories to demand that Labour hands the tainted cash back. There are senior figures in government that believe the union will have to be defeated in the dispute and calculate that BA can succeed in minimising the strike's impact by retraining staff. Walsh has vowed to operate a significant proportion of BA's services during the first phase of the dispute starting this weekend. The airline aims to fly about 45,000 passengers per day using a volunteer cabin crew workforce of 1,000 people and 22 hired jets, complete with crew. Thousands more passengers are being put on to other airlines, or BA flights on different dates. Overall it plans to fly at 60% capacity, meaning that around 30,000 passengers per day will have to make alternative arrangements. BA has already offered full refunds to anyone booked to travel between 19 and 31 March.

On its website last night, BA announced its schedule for the first strike period and said that "all flights to and from London City and all long-haul flights to and from London Gatwick will continue to operate normally throughout any strike period". "We are deeply sorry that our customers are the innocent victims of this cynical attack on their travel plans by the leaders of Unite," said Walsh. "Despite the desire of Unite's leadership to ground the airline, the flag will continue to fly." No details were provided of BA's plans for the second strike, a four-day walkout due to start on 27 March. BA's plans were announced shortly after Woodley hit back at the prime minister's labelling of the walkout as "unjustified and deplorable" , Woodley said: "It's amazing, isn't it, how many people at interesting political times jump on how many bandwagons to condemn workers." Speaking on The World At One on BBC Radio 4, Woodley also hit back at the transport secretary, Lord Adonis, who had said he "absolutely deplored" the planned strikes.

"For an unelected person who hasn't got a clue about this dispute, I think he would have been much better to keep his counsel," Woodley said. "We have got a transport secretary [who] has no industrial experience whatsoever and didn't want to pick up the phone and find out exactly what the problem's about." Sources close to the dispute say Brown's broadside followed direct communication with Woodley at the weekend, when it is understood the discussion was less confrontational and based on finding possible solutions, including the union reconsidering the BA offer. Unite's proposal, which now seems unlikely to be revived, includes a one-off 2.6% pay cut this year, which matches a similar move by BA's pilots, and the return of about 700 cabin crew to BA aircraft. More than 1,100 cabin crew posts have been axed by BA since November after a voluntary redundancy scheme and a part-time working programme. BA's decision to do this unilaterally sparked the dispute and nearly led to a 12-day Christmas walkout that was only halted by an 11th-hour high court injunction.

The standoff between BA and Unite continues ahead of Saturday's planned strike, as the Conservatives highlight Labour's links with the union Published: 16 Mar 2010 British Airways cabin crew begin four-day walkout - France 24 British Airways cabin crew begin four-day walkout Text by News Wires Latest update : 2010-03-27 British Airways cabin crew began a new four-day strike Saturday after a previous walkout last weekend, but the airline said it expected less disruption this time. AFP - British Airways (BA) cabin crew launched a four-day strike Saturday, the second wave of action in a week as part of a bitter, long-running dispute over pay and conditions. BA has pledged that more than three-quarters of its passengers -- or over 180,000 out of 240,000 -- will still be able to travel as planned during the walkout, which follows a similar three-day action last week. A further 18 percent of customers have been rebooked with other airlines, or have switched their travel dates to avoid the strike period, it said.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh, who insists the company could fold in a decade unless the changes he wants take place, said the "vast majority" of staff were "pulling together to serve our customers and keep our flag flying". "At the same time, I feel really sorry for those customers whose plans have been ruined by the Unite union's completely unjustified action," he added. Amid growing hostility between BA and trade union Unite, whose members are staging seven days in total of strikes, the union claimed the cost to BA would be 100 million pounds (111 million euros, 149 million dollars). "If you add together the cost of lost bookings, of revenue effectively transferred to other airlines along with BA passengers, the cost of (leased) aircraft and the cost of knock-on post-strike disruption, this is the ball-park area we are in," the union said in a statement. By contrast, BA said Monday that a three-day walkout from last Saturday would cost seven million pounds a day and that an assessment of the full cost of the seven-day action could only be made after it was finished. Talks between the two sides broke down eight days ago, on the eve of the first wave of strikes.

Walsh came under fire from leading academics in a letter to The Guardian newspaper published Friday. The letter, signed by 116 industrial relations experts from universities across Britain, argued his actions were designed to break Unite, which represents BA's 12,000 cabin crew. They added Walsh had withdrawn an offer which could have prevented Unite's strikes. BA has also axed highly-prized perks like big travel discounts for all striking workers. "It is clear to us that the actions of the chief executive of British Airways... are explicable only by the desire to break the union which represents the cabin crew," the academics' letter read. "What other possible interpretation can there be for Willie Walsh tabling an inferior offer to BA's previous one, or indeed his marshalling of resources, including those of bitter rival Ryanair, to undermine the action of his staff?" BA denies it is seeking to break Unite and in an interview with the Daily Telegraph Saturday, Walsh said the reforms he wanted were vital to the company's survival. "We are trying to transform the way we operate because the industry is changing and the economic conditions have changed so radically that we've got to change," Walsh said.

"We're doing this to make sure BA still exists in 10 years. If we don't do this, BA won't exist in 10 years." The airline is hoping to fly a full schedule from London's City and Gatwick airports during the strikes and at Heathrow will operate 70 percent of long-haul and 55 percent of short-haul flights. BA, which is attempting to merge with Spanish rival Iberia, said last month it expected to notch up a record loss in the current financial year due to weak demand for air travel. In December, it won a legal battle to prevent a 12-day walkout by cabin crew over Christmas and New Year after a judge ruled that a ballot of staff by Unite was invalid. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned the strike. But with a general election expected to take place in May, the main opposition Conservatives have accused the government of a weak response to the action because Unite is a major donor to Brown's ruling Labour party.

Air and rail strikes threaten travel plans and Labour hopes - Telegraph Travel News Air and rail strikes threaten travel plans and Labour hopes Britain is facing the most disruptive wave of industrial action since Labour came to power, as strikes by British Airways staff and rail workers threaten to throw the travel plans of millions of people into chaos. Tony Woodley, Unite's joint leader, is paid a six-figure salary by the union Photo: PA Image 1 of 2 Mr Brown had been silent on the BA dispute, but the forceful intervention from Lord Adonis on Sunday effectively forced the Prime Minister to comment on Monday. Photo: GETTY James Kirkup and David Millward 10:00PM GMT 19 Mar 2010 In a move that represents a "nightmare scenario" for the Gordon Brown's general election campaign, transport workers and public sector staff are set to stage a wave of strikes around the Easter period. As many as 13,500 British Airways cabin crew - some of whom earn more than £50,000 - were beginning a three-day walk-out after negotiations with the company broke down.

BA said the strike - called by union Unite - would force it cancel a third of its scheduled flights, affecting 25,000 passengers a day. A four-day strike is planned for March 27, and disruption to before and after each strike threatens two weeks of disruption for the airline’s customers. Even before the cabin crew walk-out formally began, some BA passengers with tickets from London Heathrow were dropped from flights because of last-minute overbooking intended to beat the strike deadline. Related Articles Budget 2010: Europe warns government's plans to cut deficit 'not good enough' 16 Mar 2010 Hours before the BA talks broke up, the RMT union announced that Network Rail signalling workers have voted for industrial action that could bring about the first national rail strike since 1996. Rail maintenance workers have also voted to strike. A rail strike could come over the Easter weekend, when an estimated 10 million people are planning to travel by train.

The Public and Commercial Services union has also announced that more than 200,000 civil servants, benefits staff, immigration staff and court officials will strike on March 24, when Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, delivers his pre-election Budget. The prospect of union action causing inconvenience and uncertainty for voters is causing alarm at the top of the Government. Senior ministers are afraid that voters will punish Labour for the strikes at the general election, planned for May 6. Some minister fear a “nightmare scenario” where Mr Brown has to seek a dissolution of Parliament and begin the election campaign against a background of continuing industrial action. Unite has given more than £11 million to Labour since 2007 and has links to more than 160 Labour ministers, MPs and candidates. The Conservatives have highlighted those links, accusing Mr Brown of failing to stop the BA strike because Labour is “in hock” to Unite. And while the RMT has cut its ties to Labour, Government insiders accept that many voters will still associate the union’s actions with the Labour Party. The BA strikes have allowed the Conservatives to regain momentum lost during a period when Labour began to eat into their opinion poll lead.

A senior Cabinet minister told The Daily Telegraph last night that the issue would hurt Labour much more than a recent row over Lord Ashcroft’s tax status damages the Conservatives. The minister said: “This is far worse for us than the Ashcroft affair is for the Tories. That is a story about politicians and the public view is they are all as bad as each other. “But these strikes are going to hit consumers hard. Rail and air travel being disrupted will cause a real feeling of anger and it is bound to be taken out on us.” David Cameron will today step up the pressure on Mr Brown, accusing the Prime Minister of being “feeble” and willing to give in to the unions. Evoking the spirit of Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative leader will promise to face down “vested interests” if he becomes Prime Minister. Labour ministers had been hoping that last-minute talks between Tony Woodley, the Unite leader and Willie Walsh, the BA chief executive, would resolve the dispute, but the meeting ended without agreement. Afterwards, Mr Woodley accused BA of wanting to "go to war" with the union by insisting on changes to pay and staffing levels the company says are needed to save money and stay in business.

Mr Woodley said: “The hawks have won the day. People who wanted to negotiate sensibly are being outmanoeuvred and outfought.” Mr Walsh said the strike threatens BA's business. In a letter to Mr Woodley, he urged the union to back down, saying: "For the sake of our customers, our people and our business, it is time to move on and end this damaging dispute. Meanwhile, the rail signallers, who earn an average of £50,000 a year, have voted for industrial action in a dispute over work rotas. Only 54 per cent of RMT signallers voted for industrial action, but Bob Crow, the union’s leader, said industrial action “looms large”. Robin Gisby of Network Rail accused Mr Crow of “classic militant tactics” and said the RMT should drop its planned action. He said: “We urge the union to get back round the negotiating table and talk to us about the real issues, and stop trying to hold the country to ransom." Raising hopes of a resolution, Network Rail and the RMT last night agreed to talks at ACAS, the conciliation service, next week.

But the union did not withdraw the threat of industrial action, saying it will name the dates for any strikes next week. Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, this week accused trade union leaders of trying to “hold passengers to ransom”, criticism that Gordon Brown has pointedly failed to repeat. Lord Adonis said the failure of the BA strike was “disappointing.” He said: “This strike is in no-one's interests and will cause major inconvenience to passengers.” Theresa Villiers, the Conservative shadow transport secretary said Mr Brown should either force Unite to call off the BA strike or stop accepting the union’s donations to Labour. She said: “Labour's union paymasters at Unite are determined to inflict travel misery on thousands of families. It is disgraceful that they are going ahead with this unnecessary strike. “Britain now faces Labour's spring of discontent with militant unions threatening to bring our railways to a standstill as well. Strike action could leave the country facing a serious transport meltdown." Mr Brown himself made no comment on the BA strike, but issued a statement though a No 10 spokesman. No 10 said: “The Prime Minister believes that this strike is in no-one’s interest and will cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers.

He urges the strike be called off immediately. He also urges BA’s management and workforce to get together without delay to resolve what is a dispute about jobs and wages.” BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA): CASE STUDY - USA Custom Writers USA Custom Writers Service BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA): CASE STUDY Trade Unions are organisations which are formed and used in society to represent workers interests. Trade Unions play a significant role in championing the rights of workers as well as protecting and improving the conditions of work and terms of payment for their members (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004). It is true that an individual worker may not wield enough bargaining power as to impact on and bring about desired changes in his job. Therefore Trade Unions are important in collective bargaining and by campaigning for relevant laws and policies; trade unions are able to foster some benefits to the workers as a collective group. This paper analyses the roles of management and trade unions in the recent British Airways (BA) cabin crew dispute, and discusses the extent to which conflict could have been avoided or at least dealt with more effectively by management.

The roles played by management and trade unions in the cabin crew dispute at British Airways Trade unions are usually tasked with providing negotiation, representation, informing and advising its members (the workers) and also provision of member services. Negotiation in this case means initiating and facilitating dialogue between two or more parties with view to either reach some form of agreement or resolve some problem (difference). In some circumstances, negotiation aims at deriving some gain or collective advantage in the process of collective bargaining. Therefore trade unions play a significant role in industrial disputes resolution. The usual scenario is that trade unions handle collective bargaining directly with employers because they are functional groups representing the workers. However, in circumstances where an agreement can not be reached between the trade unions and the employers, trade unions may resort to industrial action which may take different forms depending on circumstances and these may include striking among others (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004). Such industrial actions are also subject to certain existing laws that govern operation of unions. British Airways came into existence in 1970s after the merger of BOAC and BEA. In its early days the company had an organization culture that was considered militaristic and bureaucratic (Kotter and Heskett, 1992).

Majority of the organization’s senior pilot served in the armed forces who believed their work was to transport passengers from one point to another and never valued the delivery of quality service to the customers. Facing competition from other national carriers entering the market, the organization implemented a cost cutting measure to try restoring profits. This led to the layoff of over 22, 000 staff in 1980s and further 14,000 staff in1981. However, this cost cutting measure only managed to improve the company’s efficiency and productivity slightly. The organization was forced to undergo privatization in 1987 and the management implemented long term vision involving staff development and enhancement of customer quality. These did not prevent BA from facing more competition from its rivals who came up with low cost carriers and with no government subsidies to salvage it, the organization resorted to laying off of its staff. This move reduced the employees and resulted to persistent industrial disputes. In the early 1990s, there was in every year at least one bargaining group in dispute.

During the aftermath of 9/11, the BA suffered a very big blow which forced it to rationalize some haul operations and initiate staff cuts leading to job losses (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004). These incidences sent messages to the trade unions that further job losses were more likely to happen. During the period between 2000 and 2005, the company laid off more than 14,000 employees. Recently, in the process of implementing policies the organization came into logger head with the cabin crew who were opposed to their implementation. Nonetheless, both the management and the trade unions played significant roles during the dispute between the organization and the cabin crew that happened in 2010. It is important to understand the background and facts regarding the BA cabin crew dispute occurrence. The dispute involved British Airways and Unite. Unite is the UK general union representing more than 2 million workers who are its members. An estimated 12000 BA flight attendants are members of Bassa cabin crew branch of Unite.

Following a row at BA over proposals to change working conditions and implement staffing cuts, an estimated 81% of BA cabin crew staff of 79% turnout voted in favour of an industrial action in February 2010 (Prassl, 2011). Earlier on towards the end of 2009, the employees had voted in favour of a 12day strike although this was challenged in Court by BA. The high Court cited a balloting error which violated the 1992 Trade Union Act and therefore granted BA’s injunction request. The 2009 ballot had also been prompted by BA’s decision to cut down on cabin crew so in order to minimize pre-tax losses that had hit a £401m mark in 2008. Although intensive negotiations followed the February 2010 ballot, there was no substantive progress as far as resolving the dispute was concerned. March 2010 also witnessed seven days of strike action by the BA staff. In response, BA moved fast to withdraw discounted perks for air stewards and went ahead to cushion the operations by way of borrowing cabin crew from other airlines.

BA also used volunteer crew and chartered jets to continue their operations during the strike period. Such actions by BA can clearly be seen to have been a way of intimidation to the striking staff. Furthermore, the strike bill as reported by BA was highly suspicious and was as high as £45million despite having operated 79% and 58% of their long-haul and short-haul flights respectively during the strike period. The backbone of the dispute BA cabin crew dispute was actually the intention by BA management to cut down on operating costs at the time characterized by high competition, declining demand and increasing non-labour costs including fuel expenditure. Following fact that labour costs offer a better chance for attaining efficiency economies in the airline industry, and since the cabin crew usually forms the greater portion of the airline workforce, BA management contemplated recruiting new crew into a separate fleet and under less favourable terms and conditions of work so as to cut down on cabin crew costs by at least £140m a year (Schofield, 2011).

BA management also planned to restructure its promotion framework and cabin crew operations with a view to implement a lesser employee remuneration similar to those paid by other BA competitors who were reportedly known to pay their workers much less compared to BA. Unite (the UK general Union for workers) was opposed to this arrangement or the simple reason that such a move as proposed by BA was bound to generate a division in the workforce since new workers joining the Union would be barred from teaming up with the existing workers in collective bargaining (“Unite theunion”, 2011). The union also expressed concerns that the introduction of the proposed new fleet by BA management would only serve to perpetuate less favourable terms and conditions for workers in future and lead to worker marginalization (Robson, 2011). On the other hand, because of anticipation that BA could resort to legal measures to secure an injunction in the event of a pre-emptive strike against it, Unite was not in position to discuss the fleet proposal. The cabin crew however was unable to attain an early victory because such factors as; inability to broaden the dispute to involve the entire workforce, poor and delayed action plan, and the effect of anti-trade union laws.

Furthermore, there was no harmony in trade unions themselves. For instance, the pilots’ union BALPA took a neutral position on the strike issue. Since the strike came up during run up to UK general election, various political dimensions did surface in this dispute. For instance, David Cameron, (leader of Conservative party), levelled some accusations against Gordon Brown (the Prime Minister) alleging that the PM showed a negative attitude by failing to support the strikers hence that was a weakness on the side of the PM. Apart from that, Cameron accused the PM of being in hock to the trade unions because allegedly, Unite had been reported to have been supportive of the Labour Party and had even made donations for the party to an estimated tune of £11m in the previous 4 years (Upchurch, 2010). Gordon Brown on the other hand argued that the strike was unjustified and was not done in the interest of he workers, the public or BA. Brown’s intervention was politically motivated because of the fears that the government would not be better placed in the fast approaching election if the industrial action was allowed given the rising unemployment situation. The BA management played a significant role in the dispute.

Despite the presence of employee relations strategy which highlights detailed formal approach and cultural change of management, the BA management resorted to a different style of management during the cabin crew dispute (Upchurch, 2010). The employee relations strategy was designed to enhance direct involvement of individual workers on every aspect and level of the business strategy. However, the BA management deployed belligerent management approach which was well against the provisions of the employee relations strategy (Upchurch, 2010). Ordinarily, unions are supposed to negotiate with management regarding any given change, and involve a third party as an arbiter in the event that the two fail to reach agreement. Instead, the BA management’s new style (organization-driven), was designed to shift the employee relations responsibility down to the line managers by a deliberate action to disengage industrial relations specialists from the HR structure. Some of the measures taken by BA management during the cabin crew strike included suspending of the cabin crew staff who had expressed support for the strike. Generally, the BA management abandoned the normal disciplinary procedure and resorted to immediate suspension. The implications of the BA management strategy are many. First, it is evident that the management strategy was not consistent and kept changing depending on circumstances.

The BA management was ready and willing to go to the extent of turning on its own staff as long as the short term needs for cost cutting are met (Upchurch, 2010). While doing this, the management failed to put into consideration the likely impact of such belligerent measures on the workers’ welfare, work morale and the effect these have on customer relations and business competition in the market. BA’s management style serves to weaken collective worker bargaining other than weakening the employer-employee relations in the workplace. What follows is the culture f mistrust which hampers any meaningful efforts to motivate workers and foster commitment and build necessary attachment to company values mission and goals by the rank-and-file staff (Upchurch, 2010). The cabin crew is a very crucial asset to BA since they form the frontline staff and should be handled with care if the airline has to build a strong corporate brand image and retain its customer base through quality service delivery. When cabin crew staff is dissatisfied and stressed, they fail to display the essential attitudinal strength in customer service (Hochschild, 1983).

Resentful and insecure cabin crew staffs are more likely not to report errors and this would be very disastrous for BA management. More so, implementing the strategy for recruiting newer and younger staff at relatively less favourable terms would generate potential for serious safety concerns both for staff and customers alike especially due to loopholes and human errors that may arise from inadequate handling of critical incidents (Upchurch, 2010). In the next section, this essay discusses the extent to which the conflict could be avoided or at least dealt with more effectively by management. The extent to which the conflict could have been avoided or at least dealt with more effectively by management The BA management could have avoided the conflict or managed it more effectively by choosing to use less belligerent response approaches. For instance the management could have resorted to the application of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms which comprises of arbitration and mediation methods. In arbitration, disputes between parties are submitted to an independent third party that is neutral (i.e. an arbitrator). In labour relations, disputes are resolved using the labour arbitration process. On the other hand, mediation/reconciliation involves an active third party who plays the facilitating role towards dispute resolution by suggesting possible solutions to the problem.

A decision made by the arbitrator concerning a particular labour dispute is deemed binding and final in the collective bargaining process (Collins and Porras, 1994). The BA management and the trade unions could have used these approaches to develop a collective bargaining agreement that would outline the management’s responsibilities, the workers rights, and define the ultimate mutual relationship (Hochschild, 1983). Arbitration is a relatively cheaper dispute resolution approach and is preferred over litigation and strikes for dispute resolution. Other ADR approaches include use of Ombudsman and Neutral Evaluation. The ombudsman is usually a high ranking officer in the organization with an impeccable reputation such that he is able to comfortably facilitate ways of reaching dispute resolution between the employees and the company. With the use of ombudsman, the conflicts are confined and managed confidentially within the organization’s family. On the other hand Neutral Evaluation involves a neutral person having ADR background whose role is to listen to versions of the problem as presented by each party. The Neutral evaluator can then give his informed opinion concerning the dispute. All these are alternative ways that the BA management could have used to better manage the cabin crew dispute or even help avoid it altogether.

The BA management needed to have recognized the plurality of interest that characterized the organization while at the same time coming up with an organization culture and business behaviour that supports sustainability by high quality service, motivation and employee commitment. According Flanders (1967), the existence of high trust environment perpetuates the recognition of individual employee’s dignity and their right in expressing their interests through elected representatives. However, this necessitates commitment from both management and unions to significant negotiations and collective agreement. The BA management should not have used bullying on cabin crews as this method is disastrous if imposed on demoralised and resentful staff. The BA organization has a culture of intimidation and authoritarianism which is not good for smoothing running of organization’s operations as it breeds contempt in employees which was a catalyst for instability in the organization (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004). Cabin crew represent the customer-facing staff and therefore play important role in the BA’s operations in terms of satisfaction of customers and corporate brand experience. BA management should not have waged war on the cabin crew for this impacted greatly on the business and continuous conflict with employees is not a way of running a business for it instead leads to losses and closure.

Conclusion In a nutshell, the row between BA and the cabin crew could have been averted if the management had taken appropriate approach. The cabin crew is a very crucial asset to BA since they form the frontline staff and should be handled with care if the airline has to build a strong corporate brand image and retain its customer base through quality service delivery (Upchurch, 2010). Because of the role the cabin crew play in the organization, it is important for the management to implement an organization culture that is not intimidating and authoritative. In settling dispute, the BA should have resorted to using alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Thus, the BA management and the trade unions needed to have used these approaches to develop a collective bargaining agreement that would outline the management’s responsibilities, the workers’ rights, and define the ultimate mutual relationship. Bibliography Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P. 2004. The Dynamics of Employee Relations. London: Palgrave. Collins, J. and Porras, J. 1994. Built to Last. Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. London: Century/Random House. Flanders, A. 1967. Collective Bargaining: Prescription for Change.

London: Faber and Faber. Hochschild, A. R. 1983. The Managed Heart: Commercialisation of Human Feeling. Berkeley: University of California Press. Kotter, J. and Heskett, J. 1992. Corporate Culture and Performance. New York: Free Press. Prassl, J. 2011.To Strike, to Serve? Industrial Action at British Airways. British Airways plc v Unite the Union (Nos 1 and 2). Retrieved on16/8/2011 from: Robson, T. 2011. Unions call off strike on British Airways and London Underground. Retrieved on16/8/2011 from: Schofield, J.2011. BA cabin crew could strike from April 4. Retrieved from: “Unite theunion”.2011. Latest News Updates. Retrieved on16/8/2011 from: Upchurch, M. 2010.Creating a Sustainable Work Environment in British Airways: Implications of the 2010 Cabin Crew Dispute.

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Question: What trade union was deplored by Gordon Brown for its actions in the 2010 British Airways cabin staff dispute?
Answer: Unite