“The union Unite announced, at a hugely hyped news conference, in Central London today that out of a ballot of more that 12,000 British Airways cabin crew 81 percent (7482) of members voted in favour of industrial action.

This numbers voting for industrial action should be seen in the context of the gargantuan 92.49 percent of members at the initial vote who were in favour of strike action, and the images of jubilant cheering members which were leaked onto the internet, last year.

Unite have declined to announce specific strike dates today, as was widely expected. They announced that they will be meeting with shop stewards first thing tomorrow morning, and no doubt a formal notification will follow.  

At the press conference today Mr. McClusky referred at length to pressure and intimidation by BA, and also some pilots, and heralded the vote as a clear indication of the deep sense of grievance that members feel. He also stressed that the only way to resolve this matter is by “negotiation and not litigation” (or intimidation), to try to satisfactorily resolve the dispute. What about the glaring omission of mediation?

This dispute is screaming from the hills to be mediated; as evidenced by a press release from Len McCluskey, Unite assistant general secretary, on the day that the Court ruled in favour of BA plc last week, in which he stated that the judgment makes “absolutely no difference to the substance of the dispute with BA”. He also threatened further industrial action if the “real concerns of cabin crew are not addressed”.  Could that statement be anymore clearer? He is saying that the cabin crew have grievances that should be listened to, that are beyond the ambit of the High Court litigation. BA will no doubt feel that their position has been satisfactorily made out before a competent court, and they will have little, if anything, to gain through any continued “negotiations”. They are at loggerheads. Surely protracted negotiations would be like a tug of war competition where the middle of the rope is affixed to an immovable object.

Mediation, and not negotiation, is the best way forward. Speaking to one another indirectly through press conferences, or via press releases, is not conducive for reconciliation; an independent facilitator is needed to mediate this matter to bring about a workable solution. Mediation, if successful, would provide clarity to Unite, and BA; and let’s not forget those many customers who may be planning to fly over the coming months. It should allow each party to save face, as they both have a lot to lose in the coming months if this is not resolved.

The personal nature of the dispute is being ratcheted up by the Union. A visit to the Unite web page now takes you directly to a new page where BA cabin crew speak anonymously in a film about the “truth of the dispute”. I take this as an indication that the next battles will not be fought through the Courts but by proxy through their respective PR departments in an effort to garner public support.  

The overwhelming support for industrial action shows how entrenched the parties have become. The travelling public can perhaps take hope from Mr. McCluskey’s hope that the parties will get round a table and “cut a deal”, and that Unite reiterated that they will not take any strike action over the Easter period. However, we could now be teetering on a spring of discontent. The chilly wind of industrial action is spreading across Europe where Lufthansa pilots are already striking over job security, and there are increasing concerns about possible action in Belgium and Germany at the General Motors restructuring plants. We wait for the bell to toll the next round in this acerbic industrial battle. ”