Travel Tips
No Strike: Court Rules in Favor of British Airways
Yes, British Airways passengers, there will be holiday travel. The airline has won its court injunction, thereby legally banning the cabin crew union’s planned 12-day Christmas strike.
The nearly one million passengers whose holiday travel plans were in jeopardy can now breathe a sigh of relief. But is another strike on the horizon in 2010?
Keep reading to find out more about the ruling and the next step for British Airways and the cabin crew union.
The judge announced this afternoon that the union’s ballot was illegal because it included votes from people no longer employed by the airline.
“It is a decision that will be welcomed by hundreds of thousands of families in the UK and around the world,” said British Airways in a statement.
Learn more about the issues separating management and the union with British Airways Strike Update: Sparring Sides Agree to Meet
The union argued that the irregularities did not affect the outcome of the ballot, but the judge denied their leave to appeal. Union leaders say they will challenge the decision after Christmas.
BA said in its statement that the two sides have come to a better understanding in recent days, but the words of the lawyers and union reps in the trenches seem to suggest otherwise.
Bruce Carr, the airline’s lawyer, argued in court that the union’s cold-hearted Christmas strike showed utter contempt for the passengers. Meanwhile, union leaders said the ruling marks a “disgraceful day for democracy,” and warned BA’s chief executive Willie Walsh that they would be a thorn in his side in 2010.
The union plans to hold a new ballot for a walkout sometime early next year.
By Dan Bence for Peter Greenberg.com.
Related Links: MSNBC, The Daily Telegraph
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