BACK IN July it looked like there would be a prolonged and very bitter dispute between British Airways and its workers. In a cost-cutting exercise management wanted to contract out all ground services (catering, engineering etc) and impose changes in pay and conditions on cabin crew.
Both sections voted to strike and management threatened to bring in a scab workforce and sue individual strikers for up to £400 a day.
One 3-day strike of cabin crow did take place, with considerable disruption to BA fllghts. So many workers were intimidated by management threats that a high proportion reported sick rather than tell management they were on Management endeared themselves to doctors by demanding daily (!) sick notices. Then when the strike was over, management refused to roster strikers for several days afterwards, leaving them kicking their heels (unpaid) while waiting by the phone.
This could have been the precursor to a highly successful defence of conditions. The 3day strike cost BA millions, and the decision of ground staff to strike could have meant coordinated action disrupting BA over the busy holiday period.
There were already offers of supportive action by airport staff internationally. What's more, BA's hard line had allenated public opinion.
Instead, the TGWU, which had been seeking ways out of calling a strike from the beginning despite BA's hard line, persisted in saying it could offer alternative ways for BA to make the savings it would make from cutting staff conditions.
Eventually BA management agreed to negotiate on this (no doubt with background pressure from Tony Blair, friend to BA's chief Ayling).
It Is unlikely that sacking management and placing BA under workers' control is on BIll Morris's list of proposed savings'. It is far more likely, especially given Morris's record in trying to get the Liverpool dockers to accept pay offs, that the proposals involve alternative cuts in conditions.
This (non)progress of the BA dispute is an indication of much that's wrong with British Trade Unionism at the moment.
Rather than pursue strike action from a position of strength to force management to back down, union leaders enter into negotiations on the basis of accepting the need for savings in wages. This acceptance of capitalist logic hinders any fight back.
BA workers should Insist on being kept Informed of negotlations and reject any deal which sells out on pay and conditions.
The Left in the unions must go on the oilensive against the logic behind such deals. privatsauon prove of the sell off of Acton cause of its unsafe performance (it some of its workers recently when government not to agree these sales. But the TUC should demand that all privatisations are reversed. The RMI LT Regional Council is organising a lobby of the Secretary of State for Transport on Friday September 5, '13.30 hrs DoE, Bressenden Place, Victoria)
IGNYNG marches curuptan AGAINST UKE