Thaindian News

March 23, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): A three-day strike was started by the British Airways cabin crew on Saturday. It will force the cancellation of hundreds of flights, but the airline said many of its passengers were able to travel.

According to the Unite union, 80 percent of its 12,000 cabin crew members walked out on the first day but, amid a war of wordsbetween the two sides, BA insisted there had been a good audience at its hubs at London Heathrow and Gatwick.

Thus, the airline was restoring some short and long-haul flights over the next few days and expected two-thirds of passengers to fly. After talks with BA chief executive Willie Walsh on a dispute over working conditions broke down in animosity, the members ofUnite, Britain’s biggest trade union walked out.

In the initial phase of action, more than 1,000 flights were set to be cancelled. The strike was condemned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown who stated that it would cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers. He insisted that BA management and workers held fresh talks as soon as possible.

However, he was accused of a weak response by the Conservatives because Unite is a major donor to his ruling Labour party.According to commentators, after noting that railway signal workers also voted Friday to strike in the coming weeks, believe that the action could severely damage Brown ahead of an election expected on May 6.

As per what BA said initially, a total of 1,100 flights out of the approximately 1,950 scheduled to operate during the first strikewere to be canceled. But it will still handle about 49,000 passengers each on Saturday and Sunday, compared to the 75,000 average for a normal weekend day in March.

Staff that is not striking is being used by the airlines. According to Unite, planes were stacking up on the ground, with 85 at Heathrow alone, and said that in one two-hour period during the day just 10 planes left Heathrow instead of the normal 50.

Tony Woodley, the union’s joint leader, irately accused BA of wanting “to go to war” after the talks broke down, on Friday.

Passengers were promised that many would be able to travel, dismissing concerns that unions in France and Germany would carry out action in sympathy with Unite.

BA is trying to revise working conditions as part of a financially prudent push, which the union says will lead to the introduction of a second tier workforce on poorer pay and conditions.

The cabin crew on some routes are being paid about twice as much as the staff at their rivals, Virgin. The staff has been warned by the airline to not take part in the strike, so as to not risk losing lucrative reductions on long-haul flights.