1000 cabin crew staff and wet lease planes to help BA break strike
04.03.10
BA said yesterday that 1000 employees have volunteered - and been trained - to work as cabin crew to help it continue to operate flights if a planned strike goes ahead, while 6000 staff had offered to assist in other areas, such as handing out advice at airports. It will also hire up to twenty three fully crewed planes from a charter company to run flights from Heathrow in the event of industrial action by its 12,000 cabin crew.
During an internal briefing for staff, BA chief executive Willie Walsh said that he would not reverse cabin crew cuts on long haul flights from Heathrow. The changes were made in November with no agreement from the union after months of talks. This triggered the strike vote. He said in his address that BA management and union representatives have had only 2 hours of talks in the past 2 weeks, which Unite dismissed as ‘utter nonsense’.
BA says the volunteers and leased aircraft will enable it to operate all services from London City Airport - which are not strictly affected by the dispute anyway - and all long-haul flights from Gatwick. A ‘substantial number’ of long- and short-haul flights from Heathrow would also operate.
No strike dates have been announced as the airline and union are still negotiating. A spokesman for Unite said the comments by Mr Walsh were another example of an ‘inflammatory and confrontational stance at a time when we are engaged in important talks with the company. Any suggestion that we have had only two hours talks in two weeks is utter nonsense.’
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