Virgin Atlantic pilots have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in a row over pay. 

Christopher Mordue, partner in the employment team at international law firm Pinsent Masons comments: “This ballot result shows that industrial unrest is in no way limited to the public sector or the issue of public sector pensions. Private sector employers are just as vulnerable to the current wave of union militancy. While it would be wrong to extrapolate too far from one industrial dispute, this ballot could be indicative of a wider tension in industrial relations and the likely triggers for industrial action in the private sector.

The recession was characterised by employers and unions working constructively together to save jobs and weather the storm – unions embraced alternatives to redundancy such as pay freezes, temporary layoffs and short time working far more than they did in previous downturns. This dispute may signal that unions and their members feel that the threat of redundancy has eased, and that the time for pay restraint is over especially given current levels of inflation – unions may now be looking for “payback” for their previous co-operation and willingness to agree normally unpalatable measures and their members more prepared to strike in pursuit of pay rises or to avoid real term pay cuts.

This is the first pilots strike at Virgin and presents the company with significant business and customer relations challenges. The strong vote in favour of action – 97% on a 94% turnout- suggests that any strikes are likely to be well supported. In light of recent calls for the tightening of strike laws, this ballot stands out in terms of both the turnout and the majority in favour of action – well ahead of any of the proposals that have been made for increasing the thresholds for lawful strike action.

The union’s action is deliberately timed to hit Virgin at a time of great vulnerability – the summer holiday season – and the issue is not just one of actual disruption to flights and holidays, but also the uncertainty and stress this will already be causing their customers. The fact that the unions only have to give 7 days notice of each strike day will only heighten this anxiety. As was demonstrated by the long running BA dispute, strikes can have a lasting and damaging effect on brand and customer loyalty. How quickly Virgin can resolve this dispute, and how well it deals with the real and potential impact on its customers will be critical challenges.”