8th Jan 10
BA talks boost hopes for cabin crew deal
by Natasha Redman
There were hopes of an end to the ongoing dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew on Wednesday as the two sides announced they would commence new talks this week.
The airline and the union representing the cabin crew, Unite, said they would return the negotiating table at the Trades Union Congress in London, in a bid to resolve their disagreements.
Astaire Securities transport analysis, Douglas McNeill, said it was probably the most encouraging sign for some time, but he warned it could not be seen as a guarantee to and end of the recent bout of industrial strife at the airline.
Unite balloted for a 12-day strike over the peak Christmas period and the New Year, that would have affected an estimated 1 million passengers, after the airline planned to cut the number of cabin crew on long haul flights by at least one.
Analysts had predicted the strike could have potentially cost the airline up to £30 million a day, a significant amount for an airline that record a £401 million pre-tax loss in 2008 and expects to perform similarly in 2009.
Unite said the move to reduce cabin crew amounted to a large change of employment contract and should not have been made without proper negotiations, however BA insists it had the right to make the changes.
The stop-work was averted after BA won a High Court injunction preventing the strike on grounds that the ballot was invalid as it included empl0oyees who had recently agreed to take voluntary redundancy.
Unite has called for a fresh vote, saying that the ballot process was continuing, but said it was readty to hold talks with BA aimed at finding a negotiated settlement in the dispute.
The airline said they were always ready and would make themselves available for talks with the union at anytime without preconditions, and is pleased that the new round of talks would proceed under the auspices of the TUC.
Join secretary-generals of Unite, Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson both said in a statement that the Union has said all along that this dispute could be resolved only through negotiation, and they’re delighted to be joining BA management in talks at the TUC.
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