Workers Continue Strike But BA Still Flying
4:43pm UK, Saturday March 27, 2010
Sky News sources state 66% of BA cabin crew turned up for work this day despite the four-day walkout being staged by Unite members.
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Air passengers have been facing more travel disruption and this second strike is not due to end until Tuesday.
Yet at least 96% of staff turned up to work at Gatwick today, with 61% turning out for Heathrow long-haul flights and 56% for the airport’s short-haul flights.
The strike is a result of a dispute between the Unite union and BA bosses over jobs and cost cutting.
And the union’s national officer Steve Turner has warned that further strike action is likely after Easter unless an agreement is reached soon.
Those staff that have been on the picket lines this day have complained of an “atmosphere of fear” and having to “constantly look over their shoulder” at the company.
Hundreds of hundreds of staff have congregated at a football ground underneath one of Heathrow’s flight paths in Bedfont.
One cabin crew member said: “I’m constantly looking over my shoulder in case I fill in the wrong form, tick the wrong box, state the wrong thing.
“Whereas before you would just be called in, now they are going straight to suspending people.”
Unite’s assistant general secretary Len McCluskey condemned the treatment of striking British Airways workers as a “disgrace”.
Speaking in Bedfont he urged them to stand up against “the aggressive bullies” that manage the airline.
“It’s become evident for a while that instead of seeking to resolve your concerns, they are trying to crush your right to have a collective unit and you are not going to let them do that.”
The crowds cheered as he continued: “You are not mindless militants, you are decent men and women trying to protect your future and the company that you love.”
BA stated that 18% of its customers had been re-booked to travel on different airlines, or had changed the dates of their flights to avoid the strike period.
Unite warned that the total seven-day dispute will cost the airline around £100m, but BA has estimated it will cost about half that.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh said: “The vast majority of BA staff, including thousands of cabin crew, are 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.
“Despite the union’s promises, this strike has affected the Easter holiday plans of thousands of hard-working people.”
Mr Walsh has withdrawn travel perks from staff who took part in the first strike action earlier this month.
Click here to see the latest advice for passengers and a break-down of the canceled flights.
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