Strike will hurt BA - and Labour

The strike by British Airways cabin crew won't help anyone. The airline, the union, the public - or the Labour Party.

British Airways was heading for its first strike in 13 years this week. It looks as if 12,000 cabin crew will walk out on 20-22 March, and for a further four days starting on 27 March, in a dispute over working practices and costs. The stand-off between BA and the cabin crew's union, Unite, also hit the front pages, given its close links to the Labour Party. Meanwhile, BA managed to secure a separate deal to tackle its £3.7bn pension deficit by raising staff contributions. The deal should facilitate a merger with Iberia.

What the commentators said

The union's "blindness" is certainly reminiscent of the 1970s, as Gordon Brown acknowledged by condemning the strike, said The Independent. BA lost £400m last year and is battling for survival. To keep up with "ruthless" cost-cutting rivals it needs to reduce staff costs. Given that BA's crew are relatively well paid the average cabin crew salary is £29,000, compared to £14,100 at Virgin "this should be bearable". Moreover, plenty of people across the economy have had to put up with the two-year pay freezes and staffing cuts requested of BA staff. Unite "needs to come back down to earth".

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