British Airways flight crew union, Unite, has signaled that it will ballot its members for another strike action against British Airways.  The date and conditions of the latest work action, if approved, are not yet determined and BA itself has no comment since it has not yet received the ballot notice.

This is a dangerous path for both the airline and the union leadership.  So far, the strike actions haven’t had nearly the impact that Unite would desire.  On the other hand, the sticking point(s) seem to revolve around union membership who lost travel benefits by participating in the strike.   BA offered to restore those privileges before the last go around but only at “entry level”. 

I have to say that while this strike action by Unite has struck me as ill-timed and poorly led over the issues, BA’s position over the travel benefits is senseless at this point.  It punishes membership (i.e. employees) instead of having an effect on the union leadership itself and it is the one thing that seems both petty and punitive at this point.  CEO Willie Walsh would be well advised to put full benefit restoration back on the table if only to assist in closing a deal and to avoid any more damage to morale.  It’s a small point and if Unite wants to crow about it, let them.  At the end of the day, any sensible person will realize who “won” in this fight.

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