BA planes at Heathrow Airport (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
By David Stewart White
Examiner.com
Updated May 23, 2010 11:41 EDT
BREAKING NEWS May 24, 2010 04:41 GMT
After a war of words waged in the media on May 23, the strike by British Airways cabin crew union members has begun.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
A planned strike by British Airways cabin crew members will go ahead on May 24 after negotiations ended in raucous protests and recriminations. BA chief Willie Walsh was reportedly escorted under police protection from the Acras negotiation service building on May 23 after Socialist Workers Party demonstrators broke into a union-management meeting.
Union and BA negotiators were incensed at the disruptive protest, but Walsh also criticized union leader Derick Simpson for Tweeting updates to supporters from within the negotiations. Earlier on May 23, both sides had made statements indicating progress toward averting a strike.
Mediators brought British Airways management and union representatives together on May 22 in an attempt to avert a series of strikes set to begin on May 24. The original strike dates included 20 days of strikes, spread out over:
• May 18-22 (stopped by court injunction)
• May 24-28,
• May 30-June 3, and
• June 5-9.
The travel industry is braced for renewed strikes beginning on May 24. Schedules and information can be found on the British Airways website and travelers should check for updates frequently.
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