Pilots’ leaders have vowed to defy bullying by the boss of the Unite union at the centre of the threatened British Airways cabin crew strike.
Unite leader Len McCluskey is demanding that no pilot cross picket lines or volunteer to replace striking flight attendants.
But Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said cabin crew were being as ‘badly led’ as striking miners of the Eighties and would similarly end up in a ‘long war of attrition’ they could not win, the Daily Mail reported.
The row threatens to split the trade union movement and follows a vote last week by BA cabin crew to back a further round of strikes.
Unite general secretary McCluskey reportedly wrote to McAuslan saying: “As you will be aware, the company mounted an extensive strike-breaking operation when cabin crew took lawful industrial action last year.
“This included inducing other employees to undertake cabin crew duties. Those so induced included a number of members of Balpa.
“It has come to my attention that further pilots employed by BA, members of Balpa, are presently being trained to undertake cabin crew duties in the event of a further strike.
“I am writing to formally request that you issue advice to all your members employed at BA that they should not undertake such training, and should not do cabin crew duties if Unite cabin crew do indeed take further strike action. In my view, issuing such advice is the least any trade union should do under the circumstances.”
Many Balpa members volunteered to help BA run flights during 22 days of strikes last year, and McAuslan said he expected that to happen again.
Rejecting the Unite approach, McAuslan compared the long-running BA cabin crew dispute to the bitter miners’ strike of the Eighties.
He said the pilots’ union would not be bullied – even if Unite succeeded in an attempt to have it expelled from the TUC.
Pilots, cabin crew and other staff had to work closely together in the interests of safety, said Mr McAuslan who added: “The miners’ strike divided the mining community and created years of bitter division which persist to this day.
“We cannot afford to see the BA cabin crew strike lead to this same sort of division in the aviation industry where good relations between staff are crucial to the safety-critical safeguards on which lives depend. We must all learn the lesson of history.”