BA force union to hold new strike ballot
09.02.11
British Airways cabin crew are to be balloted again on strike action as the airline has threatened legal action to declare the recent ballot was unlawful. Cabin crew voted last month for further stoppages, but the Unite union said it will now hold a new vote after a ‘legal blitz’ by the airline. BA said the union had ‘nobody to blame but itself’. It is not clear which element of the ballot had prompted the complaint by the airline.
The dispute was originally on staffing levels on long haul flights but now includes BA's action against staff who went on strike last year, including the removal of travel benefits. BA said: ‘Unite has once again failed to conduct a proper ballot. We make no apology for having advised Unite of the flaws in its conduct.' It added that the union had been aware the ballot ‘lacked legal validity’ for more than three weeks - including during the ballot - saying: ‘It chose to hide this fact from its members, opting instead for rhetoric about industrial action it knew could not happen.’
Unite said BA had informed the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) that the recent ballot was unlawful and that any action taken would be unprotected. General secretary Len McCluskey said Unite could therefore not call a strike based on the ballot, as this would ‘expose our members to sanctions’. However, he added he anticipated giving the airline official notice of a new vote within 10 days, unless negotiations began.
BA also called on Unite to restart negotiations. The airline said: ‘There have been enough ballots. It is time for Unite to return to the deal we negotiated, which leaves our existing Heathrow crew the best rewarded in the UK industry, and to put this dispute behind us.'
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