Union pledges ballot cabin crew as it reopens negotiations over 15 days industrial action
Unite pledged to ballot British Airways cabin crew for further industrial action today as it reopened talks about calling off 15-day strike.
Tony Woodley Derek Simpson, the joint general secretaries, warned that new strike vote was imminent before travelling talks with BA chief executive Willie Walsh at an unspecified location.
Discussions over averting 15 days strikes collapsed chaos last Saturday after offices Acas conciliation service were invaded members Socialist Workers party.
Simpson said Unite was preparing to ballot the withdrawal staff travel perks an estimated 4,000 flight attendants who joined wave strikes in March disciplinary action taken against 60 crew members alleged misdemeanours during that dispute.
“We will holding another ballot staff travel and the disciplinaries,” said Simpson. Woodley added that Unite was duty bound hold another poll because window protection striking crew, mandated trade union legislation, expires June 10 and exposes any staff who walk out the threat dismissal they not protected ballot.
“We have got no choice. We have got give our people legal protection. We cannot take chance that this gaffer will sacking people,” said Woodley. Unite, buoyed 81% and 92% majorities for recent cabin crew strike ballots, believes a new poll will meet with similar success. It is threatening a further ballot because it regards withdrawal of staff travel and disciplinary cases as a fundamental breakdown industrial relations.
If BA fully reinstates travel scheme for strikers, Unite has offered to suspend three waves of five strikes that started on Monday and are due to continue from May 30 to June 3 and June 5 -9, last strike ending just days before start of World Cup South Africa.
BA said today that it hoped to run 70% its long-haul services Heathrow next week, compared with 60% currently, because the numbers cabin crew reporting work during the walkouts. Unite claims that the strikes are being supported strongly.
Walsh has described argument over travel perks as a “distraction”, arguing that real issue is a fundamental change airline’s cabin crew costs. Woodley believes broad outlines a deal lower costs around £60m has been thrashed out, Walsh wants guarantees that Unite and its main cabin crew branch Bassa, will support proposal if it is put 11,000 flight attendants in a vote.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar