British Airways boss Willie Walsh has hit out at representatives of 11,000 cabin crew, whom he claims refuse to talk about changes to the way they work.
The cabin crew members of the T&G union have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action and are poised to give seven days notice of a walk out. Talks between airline and union leaders broke up without agreement yesterday and were due to resume on Wednesday afternoon.
A list of staff grievances include the abolition of higher pay grades and management of sickness, although cabin crew are also among those unhappy with a deal on pensions that will push back retirement or increase contributions.
But the T&G insists the underlying issue is “management by imposition”.
Walsh said: “We are not trying to impose anything. We are happy to sit down and agree change. We’re not looking for a dispute with the T&G.
“If pensions are the issue, I believe we can sort it out. I wrote to the T&G in December and said I was prepared to talk about absence management. These issues can be resolved.
“But what is behind this is a branch of the T&G that is taking a stand on not talking about change. They have the attitude, ‘What we have we hold.’ We cannot accept anyone in the business saying they cannot discuss change.”
The T&G continues to refute that charge, blaming the dispute on “the breakdown of respect and industrial relations”.
The massive strike vote, and TV footage of BA staff cheering the result, has increased the pressure on BA to make concessions. But Walsh’s insistence that there are limits to how far he will go makes a strike more likely.
Any action must be called within 28 days, meaning the school half-term holiday in February may be affected. Walsh said: “This is completely unnecessary. I don’t see any value in threatening the holiday plans of families.”