British Airways has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the unofficial industrial action taken by about 1,000 of its staff last week…
British Airways has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the unofficial industrial action taken by about 1,000 of its staff last week. The inquiry will seek to establish the facts of what happened in order to take appropriate action.
The airline is also investigating whether any staff were bullied or intimidated into walking out or staying out.
Groups of baggage handlers, cargo workers and bus drivers staged a wildcat strike last Thursday, causing the cancellation of more than 700 flights and severe disruption for 100,000 passengers.
The stoppage – described by Sir Rod Eddington, British Airways` chief executive, as outrageous – was prompted by the dismissals of 670 staff by the flight catering company, Gate Gourmet.
A special Focus on Fact investigation line has been set up to enable British Airways staff to speak to a third party if they wish to discuss any matters of concern surrounding the decision to leave their work positions.
Further, staff who did not take part in the unofficial action but who saw anything that that they consider relevant to the investigation are also invited to call the Focus on Fact line.
The phone line will operate in complete confidence and callers` names will only be disclosed to British Airways with the caller`s consent.
In an open letter to staff, Sir Rod described the walk-out as a body blow that defies belief.
He went on: Never before have we had to cancel the entire operation at our worldwide base.
Those who took unofficial industrial action at British Airways acted in an unlawful way. As a result, they will not be paid for the time they were unlawfully absent from work.
I have also launched a full investigation into the circumstances that brought about this unofficial and outrageous stoppage so that further appropriate action can be taken.
He said the stoppage had put the airline under considerable and unnecessary pressure.
It was too early to say how long it would take the company to restore service levels completely or what the long-term implications of the industrial action might be.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
