BA warns cabin crew as ballot nears

(News Today) - British Airways has warned its cabin crew they face the risk of fresh legal action or even dismissal if they go ahead with a strike vote that could see another round of walkouts at the loss-making airline this summer.

In a further sign of pressure, BA revealed on Monday that 4,500 people have formally registered interest in being hired as Heathrow cabin crew since it started a recruitment drive last week for 1,250 new staff on sharply reduced salaries at its main airport base.

The moves come as the airline and the Unite union that represents most of its 13,400 flight attendants square up for a new bout in what has become one of the worst industrial relations battles seen at square up for a new bout in what has become one of the worst industrial relations battles seen at Europe's third biggest airline by revenues.

Unite has already staged two waves of stoppages over 22 days since March, in a row that originally centred on the airline's move to cut cabin crew numbers on most of its long-haul flights.

More recently, the union said it would launch another strike ballot on Tuesday on three other issues: the use of volunteer crews not working under collectively agreed conditions; the failure to restore staff travel benefits withdrawn from striking workers; and "vindictive" disciplinary actions arising from the strikes.

Unite said on Sunday it would postpone this ballot to allow its members to vote on a new offer BA made on Friday, in which the airline slightly improved a previous proposal to guarantee existing staff allowances would not be reduced once the lower- paid recruits started work later this year.

The union said, however, it would not recommend its members approve the revised offer because it failed to address issues such as staff travel. Its leaders strongly suggested the postponed ballot would eventually go ahead.

But a letter seen by the Financial Times reveals that the airline's director of people, Tony McCarthy, who has been heavily involved in the dispute negotiations, wrote to Unite's joint leaders, Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, on Friday to warn that this ballot could place BA employees in jeopardy.

"Whilst we are carefully examining the reasons for your new ballot, we would like to point out that we believe they are not new items and, therefore, you are potentially putting your members at risk," said Mr McCarthy.

"I would strongly urge you to reconsider the content of this revised offer carefully before you initiate your ballot."

Under UK industrial law, workers can lose their statutory protection against dismissal if a court deems that they are striking over what are effectively the same issues.

Asked if this was what the airline intended, a BA spokesman said only: "We are considering the position."

Marc Meryon, a partner at Bircham Dyson Bell, a law firm that specialises in industrial relations, said the threat of dismissal was clearly one interpretation of Mr McCarthy's letter.

"This may be a suggestion that any future industrial action should be treated as a continuation of the previous action and so placing members at risk of dismissal if they continue to take strike action, or that a re-ballot of members on the current dispute may be vulnerable to challenge," he said.

Unite has not said when it will hold its new ballot. But last week's news that BA has started hiring new crew, a move it says will save £100m in 10 years, has heartened investors in the City of London.

A spokesman for the airline said on Monday that 16,000 people had clicked on the careers section of its website since it started advertising for the new recruits last week and 4,500 people had officially registered interest in making an application to be hired.

Source : CNN

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