British Airways to take Strikes to High Court

British Airways is going to the High Court today to apply for an injunction on the scheduled 20-day strike by cabin crew, which is suppose to start tomorrow. The carrier was successful in getting an injunction the first time Unite announced a 10-day industrial action over the Christmas holiday, but there is speculation by experts that this time the airline may not be as lucky.

In court, British Airways will argue that Unite didn’t make sure members were told the result of the ballot as soon as possible, which is required under the 1992 Trade Union Act. Their hope is to repeat their previous High Court victory. There is also to be a meeting at the Acas conciliation services, which Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley expects will fail.

The strikes are to start at 12:01am on Tuesday morning, and British Airways has pledged that they will fly 70% of passengers to their destinations with the help of leased aircraft and crew from rival airlines. They have also promised that flights to and from London City and Gatwick airport won’t be disrupted, on a schedule like the strikes that occurred in March.

The carrier has warned that the loss and damage to come from the proposed industrial action will be about £138 million, despite the full implementation of contingency measures, which also includes the operations of 50% short-haul and up to 70% long-haul services from Heathrow Airport. It’s assumed that this estimate is based off the trend from the 7 days of strikes in March, which cost the airline about £45 million.