C & B #729
Actually, I think Unite's response is interesting. IA is now only "a possibility", which is a clear ratcheting down of the tone. Does this indicate talks with BA really are progressing well? Who knows. I suspect Unite is under extreme political pressure as much as anything else to resolve this dispute without a strike. The timing of the re-ballot means that any strike has to start in March, just as we move into the General Election campaign. I think you can safely assume Brown, and certainly Mandellson, don't want to be fighting an election against a backdrop of '70s style industrial relations rhetoric.
Has BA applied for its Court costs to be paid by Unite? The answer to that could offer some pointers as to whether or not peace is breaking out.