British Airways strike to go ahead
After days and weeks of speculation regarding the Unite union's decision to ballot members on strike action, it has been confirmed that last-minute talks today have failed. While no details have been released, travellers can expect days of chaos ahead of, during and after the official strike action commences. This is a body blow for British Airways, and Gordon Brown will certainly be concerned about his rating with the public as we approach the next general election.
There was growing confidence within the corridors of power that pressure from the UK government and its influence over the Unite union would see an end to the strike. However, the three-day strike by cabin crews will begin tomorrow and will bring chaos, anger and confusion to the UK transport network. There are already signs of cancelled flights and passengers are congregating in various airports around the UK, looking for alternative flights only to find that some competitors have increased their ticket prices by 65% and are fully booked.
It will be interesting to see the next polls regarding the intentions of voters at the next election because this is certainly a bitter blow for the UK government and Gordon Brown's close relationship with the Unite union and the union movement as a whole is under scrutiny.
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