British Airways (BA) cabin crew today ruled out striking over Easter in their dispute with the airline over jobs and working conditions in a move to quash a public backlash against workers.

The decision move comes amid widespread horror from passengers at the prospect of having their Easter holidays disrupted, so soon after flights over Christmas were put in danger because of the cabin crew’s earlier strike threat.

The airline escaped a 12-day walk-out in December after it won an emergency injunction at the High Court, but Unite, the union, is re-balloting 13,000 cabin crew because two weeks of talks with management have failed to produce an agreement.

Union leaders are considering a three-day stoppage this time after many staff were taken aback by the length of the 12-day strike proposed last time.

The ballot opens next Monday and will conclude on February 22. If the result is a “yes” vote then it has to give one week’s notice of a strike, meaning the earliest start date will be February 29 but it must hold action within 28 days, so Easter would have been the latest date possible.

Len McCluskey, the Unite assistant general secretary leading negotiations with the company, said: “It was never the intention of Unite and its BA cabin crew membership to call industrial action over Easter.

“I want to make it abundantly clear that, if industrial action receives the required mandate from the members and strike action is made necessary by continuing management intransigence, we will not call such action over the Easter holiday period. We are making this announcement now so families can plan their travel arrangements in confidence.

“It remains our hope that this dispute can be resolved through negotiation, without the need for strikes at any time at all.”

Last month, there was 92 per cent support from workers for a strike from an 80 per cent turnout.

BA has angered the union by asking its ground staff such as check-in agents, baggage handlers or back-room staff to retrain as cabin crew.

Willie Walsh, BA’s chief executive, wrote in a memo to his staff: “I am asking for volunteers to back BA by training to work alongside cabin crew who choose not to support a strike, so we are ready to keep our customers flying as much as we possibly can if this strike goes ahead.”

The plea, though unusual, is likely to be legal if the stand-ins are given accredited training.

Original Source – The Times

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