BA yesterday threw the TGWU’s attempt at a compromise out of the window when it announced that all of its planes will be grounded next Tuesday and Wednesday, the 30-31 January, at Heathrow, and that all internal and EU flights will be grounded at Gatwick airport.
In place of conciliation BA are preparing to take on the TGWU in an all out war.
In fact, BA boss Walsh is gearing up for the move to Terminal 5 Five, and wants to cut wages, pensions, and the number of workers that BA employs, and break up the trade union organisation.
BA sees this struggle as its ‘Wapping’. (This was when Murdoch moved out of Fleet Street in 1986, to a new plant in Wapping, and sacked over 6,000 printers, in a vicious one year struggle to destroy the Fleet Street trade unions).
BA declared war despite the fact that the TGWU as a ‘goodwill gesture’ had cancelled one of its three days of strike action.
T&G general secretary Tony Woodley had declared: ‘After the personal intervention of Willie Walsh with our senior representatives, and as a goodwill gesture, we have agreed to a 24-hour postponement of the start of the industrial action. This extends the time available to secure a settlement to the outstanding problems, and I hope that the company will now join us in making every effort to do so.’
Walsh responded to the trade union leaders’ weakness by declaring war and kicking them in the teeth as hard as he could.
Jack Dromey the TGWU deputy general secretary, who was at that time in charge of negotiations, reacted with shock, deploring the fact that ‘BA had squandered the opportunity it had been given’.
He added: ‘We are dismayed and saddened that BA failed to grasp this genuine opportunity, squandering a sincere gesture of goodwill. . . BA has simply failed to respond to the gesture of goodwill of the calling-off of the first day of the three-days of industrial action next week, a move designed to open up a pathway towards a settlement and a new relationship between BA and the cabin crew.’
Quite, BA has opted for war to crush the TGWU on the airport.
This was the signal for the union’s general secretary, Woodley to announce that he was taking over the dispute from Dromey.
Did he announce that after BA’s arrogant conduct he was organising to win the struggle.
No he didn’t. He reacted to the boss declaring war by getting further down onto his knees.
He said: ‘I know BA customers are watching and waiting anxiously and, in many instances, angrily, for something positive,’ he said. ‘This company has allowed the situation to develop over a long period of time and, frankly get out of hand. I’ll be meeting with Mr Walsh later today.’
He added: ‘At the end of the day all disputes have to come to a conclusion. We don’t want macho management or macho trade unionism. We want an honourable compromise that solves the real genuine concerns of our members.’
Walsh declares war, and is assured by Woodley that he is not in favour of militant trade unionism, and that all disputes must come to a conclusion – this is before this one has even started.
TGWU members will feel that they have been here before. After all, in August 2005 when TGWU baggage handlers at Heathrow stopped work to support the just-sacked Gate Gourmet workers Woodley ordered them to return to work, and saved the day for Gate Gourmet and BA.
He then told Gate Gourmet workers that there would be no talks with Gate Gourmet until they had all been returned to their jobs.
A month later he OK’d a deal agreeing to mass sackings and the acceptance of Gate Gourmet’s survival plan.
Walsh must be hoping for a repeat performance.
BA cabin crews must tell Woodley that there must be no rotten compromise and sell out of their dispute.
The TGWU must call Walsh’s bluff, and even take up a Macho posture, to go forward to win the dispute, and push the bosses back.
If Woodley and Dromey are not prepared to do this then they must resign and be replaced by leaders who are prepared to use the full power of the union to win this struggle.
