15 March 2010 / REUTERS, LONDON
British Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis urged cabin crew at British Airways on to call off their planned strikes this month, saying it threatened the company’s very existence.
Cabin crew are due to walk out on seven days this month after talks between the airline and unions on changes to working practices broke down. Analysts say the dispute could cost the airline around 140 million pounds ($212 million). Asked if the strike put the future of British Airways in danger, Adonis told the BBC: “Yes I do ... The stakes are incredibly high in this strike.” “It is not only the damage it is going to do to passengers and the inconvenience it is going to cause, which is quite disproportionate to the issues at stake, but also the threat it poses to the future of one of our great companies.” The planned strike would “threaten the very existence of British Airways,” he said. The Unite union said on Friday its members would strike for three days from March 20 and for four days from March 27, while BA removed a formal offer made to staff on Thursday, saying it had been conditional on Unite not naming any strike dates.
