British Airways 'trying to break Unite union' in cabin crew dispute

A group of leading academics has accused the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, of trying to break the Unite union.


British Airways is attempting to "break" the Unite trade union in a battle with cabin crew that could erode workers' rights across the UK, according to a joint declaration by 95 leading industrial relations academics.

In a letter to the Guardian, professors from the London School of Economics and other universities accused BA of having a radical agenda in a dispute that is set to enter its second weekend of strikes.

Unite has pledged to suspend the strikes if the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, reinstates a peace offer that was withdrawn a fortnight ago. His failure to put the document on the table was highlighted by the academics.

"It is clear to us that the actions of the chief executive of British Airways, notwithstanding his protestations to the contrary, are explicable only by the desire to break the union which represents the cabin crew," they wrote. "What other possible interpretation can there be for Willie Walsh rejecting Unite's acceptance of BA's previous offer or indeed of his marshalling of resources, including those of bitter industry rival Ryanair, to undermine the action of his staff?"

BA mustered an effective auxiliary schedule during a three-day strike last weekend, including 1,000 cabin crew and 22 chartered jets from carriers including Ryanair. This weekend, BA claims it will do even better by running seven out of 10 long-haul services from Heathrow.

A BA official said: "We have been in negotiations since February 2009. We had been talking in the TUC for three days solid before the strikes happened. Why would we do that if we wanted to break the unions? Willie Walsh is one of the few chief executives to have given out his mobile number to union officials so they can contact him day or night."

However, time is running out for both sides to reach a deal before tomorrow afternoon. According to sources close to the talks, BA would need to secure a compromise agreement by around 2pm tomorrow in order to have a chance of reinstating its normal flight schedule. The general secretary of the TUC, Brendan Barber, has been attempting to find common ground between both sides this week but so far there is no sign of a renewal of talks.

BA's confirmation this week that it will strip all striking cabin crew of discounted travel perks has caused further friction between the airline and Unite, which now wants the move reversed as part of any deal. The academics warned about wider consequences if BA faced down Unite.

The statement read: "The wider significance of a triumph of unilateral management prerogative would be a widening of the representation gap in UK employment relations, and a further erosion of worker rights and of that most precious of commodities – democracy."

Trade union sources have said the massive publicity afforded the strike, including the intervention of Gordon Brown, has obscured the fact that both sides were close to a peace deal over cuts to staffing levels on flights. BA has stated that the three-day walkout last weekend cost the airline at least £21m, and Walsh has already asked for Unite to find further savings among BA cabin crew to compensate for that loss.