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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Union renews legal battle with BA | Union renews legal battle with BA |
| (about 15 hours later) | |
| The union Unite has renewed High Court action against British Airways to try to overturn changes to cabin crew brought in by the airline last year. | |
| It claims it was not consulted properly and the changes, including freezing pay and reducing the number of cabin crew on long-haul flights, were imposed. | It claims it was not consulted properly and the changes, including freezing pay and reducing the number of cabin crew on long-haul flights, were imposed. |
| The union had been set to strike over the issues over Christmas, but a High Court action by BA prevented it. | The union had been set to strike over the issues over Christmas, but a High Court action by BA prevented it. |
| A new strike ballot began last week and will close on 22 February. | A new strike ballot began last week and will close on 22 February. |
| The changes made by BA were designed to cut costs. | The changes made by BA were designed to cut costs. |
| The airline suffered a loss of £292m for the six months to the end of September 2009. | The airline suffered a loss of £292m for the six months to the end of September 2009. |
| On Friday, it will reveal how it performed in the October to December quarter, and is expected to announce another considerable loss. | On Friday, it will reveal how it performed in the October to December quarter, and is expected to announce another considerable loss. |
| Contractual dispute | Contractual dispute |
| The plans for the changes were first presented to BA staff - and unanimously rejected - at a mass meeting in July. | The plans for the changes were first presented to BA staff - and unanimously rejected - at a mass meeting in July. |
| These are individual employees, each of whom seeks the enforcement of his or her individual terms John Hendy QC Q&A: What's the dispute about? | |
| The union said those measures were brought in in November and argues it should have been consulted, because the changes are contractual. | The union said those measures were brought in in November and argues it should have been consulted, because the changes are contractual. |
| But BA disputes this and has said it was not obliged to consult as "the changes do not alter contractual terms and conditions for individual crew members". | But BA disputes this and has said it was not obliged to consult as "the changes do not alter contractual terms and conditions for individual crew members". |
| Opening the High Court hearing, John Hendy QC said that the 10 test cases being brought were representative of about 5,400 claimants who were among the 13,400 cabin crew employed by BA, mostly at Heathrow. | |
| "This is not an action which is intended to seek some sort of collective enforcement of the relevant terms," he said. | |
| "These are individual employees, each of whom seeks the enforcement of his or her individual terms, and the relevant terms are the number of crew he or she has to work with on any particular flight." | |
| The hearing is scheduled to last all week. | |
| Unite had previously applied for a High Court injunction to block the airline's plans, but failed. | Unite had previously applied for a High Court injunction to block the airline's plans, but failed. |