Is British Airways winning the battle against the Unite Union?
There is speculation in the financial press that the Unite union, the union which represents the vast majority of British Airways employees, is being ripped apart by internal wrangling. A number of UK newspapers have picked up on the fact that a group of activists involved in the negotiations with British Airways may well have "gone over the top" with their recent threat of a 12 day program of strike action. Apparently some leading lights are concerned that the reputation of the Unite union has been damaged by what the union leader himself described as "possibly an over the top" response.
If this is the case, we could see internal wrangling within the union movement lessening the immediate threat of strike action for companies such as British Airways. The Labour government will also be putting pressure on the unions to curtail any potential strike activity prior to the next general election as this would purely and simply play into the hands of the Conservative party. All in all British Airways may still have a long way to go to win its battle with the unions, but if the rumours are correct then it may well be able to take a plus point from the recent conflict.
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