[Anonymous]

[BusinessTraveller]

The following statements have been released by both BA and Unite today, regarding media reporting of the strike by BA cabin crew:

From BA:

MEDIA REPORTING OF BRITISH AIRWAYS’ OPERATION

Some media reports on our flight operations during the period of Unite’s strike have appeared to give equal weight to information we have issued as to claims made by Unite.

As a PLC, British Airways is legally obliged to ensure that it does not release information that is misleading or inaccurate. Information concerning our operation is clearly market sensitive.

This information includes matters such as numbers of passengers we are able to carry, numbers of flights operated and numbers of crew reporting for work. Any suggestion in media reports that information we have issued is untrue implies that the airline’s management is acting unlawfully.

Unite and its cabin crew branch BASSA are under no such legal constraints. A great deal of the information they have put out over the last three days has no basis in fact. For example, Unite has no way of obtaining accurate figures as to how many customers are on our aircraft or how many crew are reporting for work. Similarly, as some media reports have pointed out, Unite’s claims about the location of British Airways aircraft have been false.

It is extremely confusing for our customers when the content of some media reports conflicts with information we have provided via ba.com and direct communications in an effort to minimise uncertainty about travel plans.

We have no difficulty with media desire to report Unite’s strike impartially. We believe this objective, and the objective of accurate reporting, is assisted by rigorous assessment by media organisations of the information they receive.

——————————————————————–

Unite’s response:

MEDIA REPORTING OF BA DISPUTE

The British Airways statement issued earlier today (below) is a brazen attempt to prevent media reporting Unite’s side of the present dispute. Not content with gagging cabin crew, so they cannot tell their side of the story, British Airways PR operation apparently wants to establish a monopoly of news coverage. All the information Unite has issued over the last three days, particularly in relation to the number of crew reporting for work, has been reliably sourced.

I am confident all journalists covering the dispute will ignore this intimidation, which is all of a piece with what cabin crew have had to put up with. As Tony Woodley said yesterday, BA may be forgetting that we are in Britain, not Burma.

[BusinessTraveller]

Unite has also released the following:

“Where’s Willie?” – Unite urges BA boss to come out of bunker

Unite today (Monday) urged BA chief executive Willie Walsh to come out of hiding and agree to talks to settle the cabin crew dispute which has grounded most of the airline’s operation over the last three days.

Unite Joint General Secretary, Tony Woodley visited picket lines around Heathrow Airport today and addressed striking union members, reaffirming that the union remained ready for talks at any time before the next strikes, scheduled to run for four days from Saturday March 27, commence.

However, the union has yet to receive any positive response from the company. Mr Woodley said: “Willie Walsh’s silence is deafening. Where’s Willie? He has not been seen or heard from today while his business grinds to a halt.

“BA needs to wake up and understand that a dispute like this can only be resolved through negotiations and agreement. Cabin crew have sent the company the most powerful message over the last three days that they will not be cowed or bullied into accepting industrial dictat. I am proud of their solidarity and resilience, and the support they have given to this dispute, which none of them wanted.

“I would like to hear BA’s board justify spending millions on a floundering strike-breaking operation when they turned down an offer of more than £55 million in cost savings from their own cabin crew.

“We estimate that BA may have spent as much as £18 million on leasing airplanes over the last three days. And it is beyond dispute that most of its long-haul flights have been cancelled, and most of those which have taken off are half-empty or completely passenger-free.

“This is the economics of the madhouse, which can only lead to suspicions that there is another, union-busting, agenda at work here. Trying to break Unite will break BA’s bank account. That is why it is time to talk. Pick up the phone, Willie.”

[MartynSinclair]

B T you confirm my posts on the other strings. Its worse than children throwing their toys out of the pram. Why on earth grown men and supposed industry leaders, thats BA and Unite, are unable to sit around a table and sort this mess out is beyong logic and common sense. Both sides seem too busy trying to win the PR circus.

A man called Bob Hoskins once said “its good to talk” – best piece of advice i ever heard!

[VintageKrug]

Unite are hardly “industry leaders”.

[MartynSinclair]

they may argue otherwise – but the word “supposed” is in there as well….!

[VintageKrug]

Well I respect your right to compare BA and UNite

“Oi! It’s not Burma you know!”

No, it’s Myanmar, and has been for some years….

[craigwatson]

MartynSinclair. I am unsure why you think BA needs to sit around the table with Unite, and give in to blackmail. Unite will settle for nothing other than BA overturning the changes to cabin crew numbers, as this whole episode has turned into Unite accusing BA of “imposing” contractual changes, But as a high court has rulded, it was nothing of the sort. So unless Ba is willing to go back to normal crewing levels, this will go on for some time. I for one hope Ba dont back down

[MartynSinclair]

……and Craig, i hope to win the Euromillions next week.

Its not about backing down or winning/losing, its about the shareholder value, BA jobs, the airline’s existance and its ability to serve its customers. If each side think their corner is bigger than the others, then you know what, lets STICK to beliefs and let this continue – I am sure there is another airline in the red corner just waiting to make a move.

Its 2010, we are just coming out of recession. If there is not a solution and this does bring BA down, you probably have no idea of the consequential loss to people outside of BA. The implosion of the pension scheme alone, could have an effect on every single pensioner in the UK as that alone could wipe out the Goverments pension protection scheme.

If one side has to back down or ‘compromise’ then so be it, that is far better than a continuing strike that is costing UK PLC millions of pounds more per day than the £7 mil is costing BA.

What ever happens, I dont fancy seeing another 40,000 on the dole queue after BA going into meltdown. This seems to me a bit like the MP’s expense’s row, £ 1million overclaimed and £ 4 million to find a solution.

[PsyDtoBe]

This is a complete joke. Sometimes its good that Singapore government ban these kind of things, maybe UK should implement this law (illegalized strike or demonstration) throughout this recession, until they are back on their feet!

[VintageKrug]

Despite my other postings, I am a supporter of some sort of worker’s representation, especially in lower paid, cyclical industries.

I also support their right to strike when appropriate, though it should hardly ever come to that.

However, Unite is not a business minded organisation; it is hardline and militant, highly aligned to the (oldskool) Labour Party and exists to further the political ideals of its leadership (class war) at the expense of its working members, who will lose most from this industrial action. The premise of this strike – that BA is changing the T&Cs of the employment contract HAS BEEN PROVEN WRONG IN THE HIGH COURT.

BA can go no further to make its case, and has exhausted legal remedies. The airline cannot back down, otherwise it would be in hock to the Union for evermore, as it has been already for far too long.

If that means Unite forces BA out of business in its current form, that’s actually not a bad medium term solution; get rid of the pension liability (though a resolution to that issue was agreed with the Union just last week..), get rid of the antiquated State-owned legacy carrier working practices and militant union/employees, and re-employ those forward thinking crew for whom service is important on half the current salary with minimal job protection, but with incentives aligned to the profitability of the firm which would replicate an income which was super-equivalent to that which the market is paying at other carriers for the same services .

Swiss and other carriers have re-invented themselves successfully after bankruptcy, JAL is in the same boat, there is no reason BA could not.

However, I very much doubt it will come to that as BA has a very profitable business model once the economy revives and a stack of cash to see it through these next few weeks.

Unite will come under pressure from its Labour Party paymasters to resolve this strike to stop a Spring of Discontent prior to the election.

The City sees this and shares remain strong, hardly dented by the strike, and this is an indication of the need for BA Management to stand firm and to ensure the Union is dealt with properly.

[BusinessTraveller]

This is the latest press release from BA regarding its schedule for the second strike period (March 27-30):

———————————————————–

BA expands its operations

British Airways has expanded its flight schedules for Unite’s strike period of March 27, 28, 29, 30 because of the increased numbers of cabin crew wishing to work as normal.

More than 3,000 cabin crew who were rostered to work last weekend and yesterday reported for work as normal. This is the equivalent of 97 per cent of Gatwick rostered crew and 53 per cent of Heathrow rostered crew. The total number of cabin crew reporting for work increased from 57 per cent to 62 per cent between Saturday and Monday.

As a result of this support from cabin crew, the airline will run a full operation using its own aircraft at London Gatwick for the second strike period and all flights to and from London City will remain unaffected.

At Heathrow the airline will extend its schedule to include up to 55 per cent of shorthaul flights and 70 per cent of longhaul flights.

The airline will continue to supplement its shorthaul schedule by leasing up to 11 aircraft with pilots and crews each day from six different airlines based in the UK and Europe.

Customers who are booked on flights that have now been cancelled will be offered seats on alternative British Airways flights or on services operated by other airlines or offered a full refund.

The airline is available to hold further talks with Unite, but wants customers to have advance notice of its flying schedule to remove uncertainty and allow sufficient time for alternative travel arrangements to be made.

British Airways has again made arrangements with more than 60 other carriers, so that customers can be rebooked free of charge on to their flights if they had been due to travel on a BA flight that has been cancelled.

Customers should check their bookings on http://www.ba.com to see if their flight is still operating.

Willie Walsh, British Airways’ chief executive, said: “The biggest contingency plan in our history went extremely well last weekend with large numbers of cabin crew reporting for work as normal.

“ As a result of the numbers of crew wanting to work, we are increasing significantly our flying schedule and will be operating a full schedule at Gatwick and London City airports.

“I would like to thank all our customers for their patience and support. I apologise to those whose flights will regrettably have to be cancelled at Heathrow because of Unite’s continuing action. This second strike is the work of a trade union that – despite its promises – seems determined to try to ruin the Easter holiday plans of thousands of families.

“Once again the union has misjudged the public mood. Our flag will continue to fly.

“We will do all we can to rebook affected customers onto other British Airways’ flights, offer seats on alternative airlines or give a full refund.

“I stress again that our door remains open to Unite, day or night, if it wants to find a sensible settlement. It is not too late for Unite to call off this second set of strikes – and then we would do all we could to reinstate some of the cancelled flights.”

Customers in the UK wishing to rebook their flights can contact the airline on 0800 727 800 which is a free telephone line. British Airways has opened up an extra call centre manned by staff volunteers to help customers with rebooking and refunding queries

British Airways’ flight programme is complex, involving 230 aircraft operating around up to 650 services every day to or from 140 cities in more than 70 countries.

Customers are advised to check ba.com on a regular basis to see if their flight is still operating before departing for the airport. If their flight has been cancelled they should not come to the airport but contact British Airways or their travel agent.

[MartynSinclair]

wouldnt it be good publicity to hear that the sides are actually talking rather than a long mail detailing the procedures for the second strike.

my travel plans have now changed on thursday from Asia to the States – however much i want to travel BA, i am just not prepared to risk any further disruption. So my business goes to another countries carrier. Quite frankly its just Shambolic and a massive embarassemnt. Flying Dolphin has the right idea, ban industrial action AND FORCE THE 2 SIDES to stop acting like children parading around the park and work harder to find a resolution.

[ex-frequentflyer]

lets face it, the management run the airline not the union, the cabin crew seem well paid, are not trolley dollies as Virgin ads seem to portray them, and deserve job security. Saying that BA is losing cash, the crews should stop causing customer disruption and return to work. My view Willies doing a great job, one loyal customer will stay loyal, even though I’m now blue after 10 years gold and silver, BA still win my business when I can choose. break the union willie !!

[MartynSinclair]

ex-frequentflyer.

If the management were running the company and had control of the company there wouldnt be a strike!

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