Union challenges BA staff contract
Updated on 30 October 2009
Channel 4 News at Noon understands that the union Unite is lodging a legal challenge today in an attempt to prevent British Airways imposing a new contract on cabin staff.
Union leaders are concerned that the BA management will impose the contracts before they can organise a strike ballot.
Business correspondent John Sparks said: "Channel 4 News can reveal that the Unite union, which represents the BA cabin crew, will launch papers today at the high court.
"They are seeking an injunction to stop British Airways to introduce a new contract for cabin crew on November 16 without the agreement of the union.
"This new contract will see a reduction of personnel on flights and an increase in workload for cabin crew, the unions say, and also a two year pay freeze and reduction of 2000 posts for cabin crew.
"It's Friday today and I don't expect the injunction hearing will be held today, it will be almost certainly next week.
"British Airways say they're till waiting for confirmation of this."
On the subject of possible strike action, he said:
"We know from Unite that they are planning a ballot for a national strike action. We'll probably get the timings for that ballot next week. There will be a big meeting on Monday where cabin crew will talk about it.
"The key issue here is that the Unite union won't know whether their members endorse a national strike before these contractual changes are implemented in the middle of November.
"So they may feel that legal action is the only avenue open to them."
