18th March 2010, 10:06 AM
REading this today... it makes me more certain that unionisation is needed... without it you are alone and easy to bully.
Quote:BA's chief executive, Willie Walsh, was last night at TUC headquarters in London for a further meeting, but refused to comment as he left Congress House.
BA said today it would now be able to fly 65% of passengers during the first strike this weekend, up from 60%, after receiving more support from staff.
Earlier this week Walsh held further talks with the general secretary of the TUC, Brendan Barber, but refused to drop charges against 38 Unite members.
The issue has become a sticking point in realising hopes of a last-ditch peace deal. A source close to the dispute said Walsh expressed frustration at Unite's apparent inability to rein in Bassa. Unite said the dispute over staffing levels on flights now appeared to be a more fundamental battle. "We have good reason to believe it is Willie Walsh's intention to use a dispute to break Unite's influence among cabin crew, and leave them without effective union protection," the union said.
A BA spokesman said the airline would not halt disciplinary action: "The issues facing us are how are we going to move our customers to where they want to get to over the weekend. That is what we are focusing on. If the opportunity for talks comes along we will certainly take it."