BA Wins Court Battle To Block Strikes
Source: skynews.com
British Airways has won a High Court legal battle to avert cabin crew strikes that were due to start on Tuesday.
The airline was facing mounting chaos because of the industrial dispute, coupled with a volcanic ash cloud that has forced flight cancellations.
But BA has now been granted an injunction against union Unite that blocks the walkouts.
Mr Justice McCombe, in London, refused the union permission to appeal - although it could renew its application to the Court of Appeal.
Unite's John Hendy QC told the judge it was possible that the Court of Appeal would consider the case on Tuesday.
After the ruling, BA said: "We are delighted for our customers that Unite's plans for extreme and unjustified strike action cannot go ahead.
"We are sorry the court judgment cannot undo the disruption already suffered by some customers who were due to travel during the early days of the union's industrial action.
"Ash disruption permitting, we will aim to restore a full flying programme at Heathrow by the weekend. We will also offer a full programme at Gatwick and London City, as planned."
British Airways has won a High Court legal battle to avert cabin crew strikes that were due to start on Tuesday.
The airline was facing mounting chaos because of the industrial dispute, coupled with a volcanic ash cloud that has forced flight cancellations.
But BA has now been granted an injunction against union Unite that blocks the walkouts.
Mr Justice McCombe, in London, refused the union permission to appeal - although it could renew its application to the Court of Appeal.
There's no challenge to the democracy and the legitimacy of our ballot. This was a pure technicality.
Unite's John Hendy QC told the judge it was possible that the Court of Appeal would consider the case on Tuesday.
After the ruling, BA said: "We are delighted for our customers that Unite's plans for extreme and unjustified strike action cannot go ahead.
"We are sorry the court judgment cannot undo the disruption already suffered by some customers who were due to travel during the early days of the union's industrial action.
"Ash disruption permitting, we will aim to restore a full flying programme at Heathrow by the weekend. We will also offer a full programme at Gatwick and London City, as planned.
BA argued that Unite had not "properly complied" with the requirement to "send everyone eligible to vote (on industrial action) details of the exact breakdown of the ballot result".
The airline insisted that, as a result, the strike action was "unlawful".
But Unite's national aviation officer Steve Turner told Sky News outside the court: "There's no challenge to the democracy and the legitimacy of our ballot.
"This was a pure technicality revolving around the notification, the communication of the result to our members which we believe was absolutely right and absolutely in compliance with the law.
"We used tried and tested methods to communicate with a global workforce that, at any one point, could be at any point around the globe."
However, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond warned: "More strikes are planned and I have met with British Airways and Unite and made it clear that both parties must get back round the negotiating table urgently.
"I want them to use this breathing space to resolve this dispute, both to avoid disruption to passengers and to safeguard the future of the airline."
The dispute revolves around pay, jobs and working practices, including staffing levels on flights.
Members of Unite were due to walk out from May 18 to 22 inclusive, then from May 24 to 28, May 30 to June 3 and June 5 to 9.
The last strike was to end just days before the start of the football World Cup in South Africa.