This last paragraph is telling.
Given the relative “lack of teeth” that ACAS actually has, if British Airways walks away from talks, staff will seethe at their union leaders for not getting a better deal – of course, the truth is that these union leaders don’t always represent the wishes of those they claim to be standing up for and will only have themselves to blame when mutiny hits home as British Airways runs out of money to pay for their whimsical demands.