British Airways (BA) Strike News

In yet more distressing news from the UK’s flag carrier, British Airways presented its interim management statement today for the three months ending June 30. The airline suffered an operating loss of $112 million (last year, it lost $146 million) and a loss before tax of $255 million (2009: $230 million). On the other hand, its cash balance of $2.72 billion is up $54 million from year end; the merger between BA, Iberia and American Airlines is in good shape; and the pensions agreements were approved by the UK Pensions Regulator. British Airways’ chief executive Willie Walsh blamed the low numbers on the Iceland volcano and the strikes by the airline’s crews earlier this year. “Our cost performance continues to follow last year’s trend with total costs for the quarter down 3.3 percent,” he said. “Our focus must remain on cost control as we grow and continue our quest for permanent structural change across the business.” While there seemed to be few specific details about what those changes would involve, there have been more rumblings of strikes that may take place as soon as September.Total revenue in the period was down 2.3 percent. Passenger revenue was down 3.4 percent, on capacity down 11.2 percent. Yields improved by 13.5 percent, 12.7 percent excluding exchange, driven by a change in mix especially within cabin. Without the disruption during the period, the airline estimates that passenger revenue would have increased by some 11 percent year on year.

Source: http://www.travelagentcentral.com/united-kingdom/british-airways-posts-more-losses-22834

British Airways has said cabin crew strikes and Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud sent the beleaguered airline £164 million into the red for the three months to June 30.

Continued here: BA posts £164m losses after crises

Unite has lost the “moral authority” to represent the views of its members, British Airways claimed yesterday, after cabin crew rejected what the airline had described as its final offer of a new pay deal.

Continued
here: href="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/266/f/3852/s/c26b181/l/0L0Sindependent0O0Ctravel0Cnews0Eand0Eadvice0Cba0Eand0Eunite0Erenew0Ehostilities0Eas0Ecabin0Ecrew0Ereject0Epay0Eoffer0E20A31190A0Bhtml/story01.htm" title="BA and Unite renew hostilities as cabin crew reject pay offer">BA and Unite renew hostilities as cabin crew reject pay offer

LONDON (AFP) – British Airways cabin crew have rejected the airline’s latest offer to end their long-running dispute, their union said Tuesday, raising the prospect of fresh strikes.

See more here: BA cabin crew reject offer to end dispute – union

British Airways cabin crew have rejected the airline’s final offer aimed at ending their long-running dispute, raising the threat of fresh strikes.

View post: BA strikes loom as offer rejected

British Airways’s chairman and board publicly backed CEO Walsh as the airline’s bosses were heckled at the annual general meeting over their handling of an ongoing dispute with cabin crew.

Read the original post: BA Bosses Questioned Over Strikes

British Airways wants Unite union to be more ‘balanced and measured’ in publicBritish Airways has demanded an end to the media war with the Unite trade union as a precondition for lifting sanctions against striking cabin crew, as 11,000 flight attendants start voting tomorrow on a proposal to end a bitter industrial dispute.BA will not partially reinstate travel perks that were stripped from crew this year unless Britain’s largest union agrees to be more “balanced and measured” in its communications from now on. A copy of the proposed peace agreement was sent to all Unite cabin crew members tonight as part of a consultative ballot that closes on 20 July. If members reject the proposal a strike vote is likely opening the prospect of further walkouts from September onwards.The offer also appears to warn cabin crew that their salary could be hit if they take part in strike action again. BA is offering a minimum top-up payment to cabin crew, in response to fears that newly recruited flight stewards, hired on different terms and conditions, will secure long-haul routes that have the most lucrative food and drink allowances.The agreement states: “The payment will only be made to those crew who do not participate in industrial action.”Unite and its cabin crew branches, Bassa and Cabin Crew 89, have agreed to take a neutral stance on the proposal, which nonetheless carries a Unite summary of the document in the form of a list of “the good, the bad, the promises and the threats”.In a letter to Unite members accompanying the postal ballot, the union’s joint general secretaries, Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, told crew that they must make their own decision. “Unite is not making any recommendation, positive or negative, as to how you should vote. It is for you to make up your minds as to whether this offer is acceptable to you as a basis for drawing this prolonged and bitter conflict to a close.”In a reference to a stand-off that has seen 22 days of strikes this year and cost BA more than 180m, they add: “However you vote now, you have written a proud page in trade union history.”Unite’s assessment of the “good” points in the offer include a two-year pay settlement; a proposal to include the Acas conciliation service in all disciplinary cases; and partial reinstatement of staff travel perks for strikers. The “bad” points include the introduction of a “new fleet” of lower paid cabin crew on separate planes; and strikers will lose their seniority status when applying for staff travel, meaning a new recruit will take priority over a striking colleague with 30 years’ experience. Among the “threats” outlined by Unite is a BA pledge to withdraw the staff travel scheme permanently from staff who strike again.An airline industry consultant warned that, even if the proposal is accepted, managers will have to repair relations with staff. “It has been a long and painful dispute and it does need to be resolved,” said John Strickland, a former BA manager. “I do hope that in one or two years’ time the company will look back and see that the dispute was difficulty but necessary, because the airline has to secure its viability for the future.”The most contentious issue between Unite and BA the withdrawal of staff travel perks is the subject of a number of caveats. In a letter to the general secretary of the TUC, Brendan Barber, BA chief executive Willie Walsh states that the discounted travel scheme for BA staff will only be partially reinstated for an estimated 5,000 strikers if a number of conditions are met. Those include: accepting the agreement; engaging “positively in behavioural work” to repair their relationship; Unite and its branches must be “more measured and balanced” in their communications; Unite must abandon a legal case against the withdrawal of staff perks. Woodley and Simpson made clear in their letter to members that they will not suspend the lawsuit.The dispute started over onboard staffing reductions in November last year. An initial peace agreement agreed to partially reinstate those cuts but the staffing reductions will now be retained in their entirety if crew back the BA offer.A BA spokesman said: “It is a fair and reasonable offer and a genuine opportunity to end the dispute.”British AirwaysAirline industryTrade unionsTravel & leisureDan Milmo Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/06/ba-end-media-war-peace-deal