Cabin crew at British Airways (BA) have begun voting in a new strike ballot in their lengthy dispute with BA bosses. The ballot will end on 28 March.
Crew voted for strikes by just under 80 percent on a 75 percent turnout in January.
Yet their Unite union declared the ballot invalid after BA bosses said it was unlawful. There was no legal challenge in the courts.
Crew face serious assaults on jobs, pay, conditions and union rights. BA has sacked or suspended a third of the local union leadership.
Bassa, the cabin crew section of Unite, is one of the strongest and best organised sections of the trade union movement. If BA smashes it, it will impact on workers everywhere.
Crew must go all out to build the yes vote. But there are many other things that Unite can do.
Unite’s general secretary, Len McCluskey, could call a meeting of Unite members inside and outside BA to broaden the fight and allow members to discuss the dispute. Some members have already called on him to do this.
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