I'm not so sure a strike would be suicidal. If you ever have to park up the fleet for a week or so, the best time to do it are when yields are so low that you are making no money by flying anyway. If the BA board have gone to the city and big institutional shareholders and told them they might lose £100million in a strike that is over proposals that will save £140million rising, it's a no brainer. BA went to the city to secure funding to see off the strike.
The strike will struggle to get off the ground with the VR and part-timers anti it.
It will be interesting to see how many will have the courage to fail to report for the first few trips that first morning when you can be sure the management will (rightly or wrongly) sack the first batch of no shows and then argue the toss later. Sacked just before Christmas - that'll do wonders for the intergity of the response and Bassa's unity.
I have a great deal of sympathy for anyone who is facing a bleak future but I have no sympathy or support for anyone who threatens my livelyhood by demanding the continuation of unrealistic and un-economic pay and conditions.
Rather like the MPs are finding at the moment - it's no good bleeting about "but that's what we've always been paid" if the tide of opinion has turned against you. The world has moved on, not just a blip - it has fundamentally changed and CC have to move with it.