Union calls for new talks to settle BA strike

The union behind the three day British Airways cabin crew strike has called on chief executive Willie Walsh to agree to new talks to settle the dispute.

The call came as Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley visited picket lines around Heathrow.

He told striking union members that the union remained ready for talks at any time before the start of the next action, scheduled to run for four days from Saturday (March 27)

Woodley said: "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."

Originally published 22 Mar 2010 at: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/398/f/5923/s/99d73fc/l/0L0Stravelmole0N0Cs… union behind the three day British Airways cabin crew strike has called on chief executive Willie Walsh to agree to new talks to settle the dispute.

The call came as Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley visited picket lines around Heathrow.

He told striking union members that the union remained ready for talks at any time before the start of the next action, scheduled to run for four days from Saturday (March 27)

Woodley said: "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."

Originally published 22 Mar 2010 at: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/398/f/5923/s/99d73fc/l/0L0Stravelmole0N0Cs… union behind the three day British Airways cabin crew strike has called on chief executive Willie Walsh to agree to new talks to settle the dispute.

The call came as Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley visited picket lines around Heathrow.

He told striking union members that the union remained ready for talks at any time before the start of the next action, scheduled to run for four days from Saturday (March 27)

Woodley said: "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."

Originally published 22 Mar 2010 at: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/398/f/5923/s/99d73fc/l/0L0Stravelmole0N0Cs…