BA strike underway

[Die Neue Zeit]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/20/ba-strike-british-airways-union-bullish


The first day of a three-day strike by British Airways' cabin crew is under way with unions and management in dispute about its impact on passengers.

The airline said its contingency plans for dealing with the strike, which include using 1,000 volunteer cabin crew and 22 chartered jets, had got off to a "good start".

But the Unite union, which represents the crew, said the number of planes stacking up at airports across the country because of the strike was growing, with 85 parked at Heathrow, 20 at Cardiff and 20 in Shannon.

The union said its 12,000 members were solidly supporting the walkout and that none of the buses that normally transport crew to work had crossed picket lines.

[Communist]

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BA cabin crew strike begins (http://english.aljazeera.net/business/2010/03/201032033234576268.html)

"BA will be flying tomorrow and will continue to fly throughout these periods of industrial action" - Willie Walsh, BA chief executive

http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images//2010/3/20/201032042727123360_5.jpg
1,100 of 1,950 flights scheduled to operate during walkout will be cancelled [AFP]

A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew has started after last-ditch talks in London between union officials and management collapsed.

About 12,000 BA staff are taking part in the strike that began on Saturday, and another walkout is planned from March 27 to March 30, just as the Easter holiday season begins.

Tony Woodley, general secretary of the Unite union, said "hawks" within the airline's management had won the day, saying that they were not interested in negotiating with cabin crew.

"This company wants ultimately to go to war with my members," he said.
Willie Walsh, the BA chief executive, said: "It's deeply regrettable that a proposal that we have tabled to Unite that I believe is fair... has not been accepted."

However, he admitted that it was lower than previous offers as a result of the costs the airline has incurred due to the planned industrial action.

Cancellations expected

A total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 flights scheduled to operate during the walkout will be cancelled, but the airline has leased aircraft and crew from rival carriers to take up some of the shortfall.

At its Heathrow base, more than 60 per cent of long-haul flights will operate, but only 30 per cent of short-haul.

At Gatwick, all long-haul flights and more than half the short-haul flights will run as normal.

"BA will be flying tomorrow and will continue to fly throughout these periods of industrial action," Walsh said.

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 airline wants to save more than $90 million annually through a series of cuts to pay and staffing to help cope with a fall in demand, volatile fuel prices and increased competition from low-cost carriers.

Unite argues it was not properly consulted on the changes.

BA says 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.

More strikes planned

Unite has a second four-day walkout planned to begin on March 27 and has said more strikes will be scheduled for after April 14 if the dispute is not resolved.

The industrial action is an unwelcome turn of events for Gordon Brown, the prime minister, with parliamentary elections expected within months, as his ruling Labour party is supported by Unite.

Analysts estimate that BA has already lost more than £25 million because of cancelled tickets and the cost of contingency plans, which include leasing fully crewed aircraft from other airlines.

"The prime minister believes that this strike is in no one's interest and will cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers,'' Brown's office said in a statement.










http://english.aljazeera.net/Media/Images/AJILogo.jpg (http://english.aljazeera.net/)
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[Lyev]

Original link; http://socialistparty.org.uk/articles/9013/17-03-2010/ba-workers-civil-servants-defending-jobs-and-conditions

BA workers, civil servants: Defending jobs and conditions

http://socialistparty.org.uk/pic/3/3348.jpgPCS demonstration through central London during two day strike, photo Paul Mattsson

The sickening bonanza for the rich goes on; last week the Forbes 'rich list' showed that the number of billionaires on the planet has increased significantly over the last year, and they have seen their incomes soar.

Here in Britain, the Audit Commission has released the results of a study on the severance packages of council chief executives. In a 33 month period, 37 individuals received £9.5 million.

It is from this wealthy layer and their representatives in the main political parties that venom and condemnation is unleashed on civil servants and British Airways cabin crew - workers who have been forced to vote for strike action to stop a relentless driving down of their terms and conditions.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis declared that a strike of BA cabin crew would be "totally unjustified" - this from a man who was not even elected to parliament, about a strike that was democratically decided by an overwhelming majority of the cabin crew.

http://socialistparty.org.uk/pic/3/3341.jpgPCS demonstration through central London during two day strike, photo Paul Mattsson

New Labour leader Gordon Brown joined the baying mob, by calling the BA strike "deplorable". Yet the BA workers' trade union, Unite, is the largest donor to New Labour, giving £11 million of its members' money to the party over the last four years alone. So Brown urges on the imposed 'race to the bottom' for working class people's living standards, while raking in their union subs to fund further vicious attacks.

Members of the PCS union are mainly in the public sector, British Airways cabin crew are in the private sector, but in both cases they have been forced to fight simply to defend previously agreed contracts and conditions - an aim that is a million miles away from the greed of the fat cats who are behind the denigrations of their struggles.

An enormous class chasm separates the interests of the workers being forced into action and those who are leading the attacks on them. But the potential strength of all the working and middle class people under attack, or threatened with attacks, is enormous.

http://socialistparty.org.uk/pic/3/3325.jpgPCS demonstration through central London during two day strike, photo Paul Mattsson

Not just hundreds, or thousands, but millions of other workers will be able to identify with the plight of those taking strike action now, and would be willing to give support if the trade union movement mobilises it.