Very interesting development. Big meeting.
A colleague and I do IA consulting now, after too many years to admit to dealing with it in a huge company.
The rule of thumb we use when advising in a situation like this?
Two scenario outcomes call for different options:
1. If you have a big policy change within the company, i.e. working conditions, rules, etc., especially where industrial relations is concerned, you put it in writing to the employees, in a detailed, lawyered email or other written document. Then call a meeting very soon afterward to allow questions from the audience/employees.
2. But when you have to eat crow or smooth over some kind of mess or failure--needing to put some spin on the situation--you call a public meeting and the top guy/woman makes a spin-filled presentation, usually without follow-up questions from the in-house audience.
So, you can tell where my mind is headed for Wednesday...LOL.
I feear that that is a far too simplistic way to view the situation.
Every industry is different, a service industry like BA is goign to be far different from manufacturing etc.
I believe with BA, these letters to crew went out some time ago and I suspect, like Wiggy suggests, this could well be Walsh coming out to state that BASSA are still not negotiating to anywhere near where BA needs them to be and therefore he is having to take steps to avoid the uncertainty hanging over the company, that is affecting bookings.
If bookings are down as much as some are suggesting (30%), the threat of action is almost having as much damage as a strike itself (and Im sure BASSA know this), so it would be well in his interest to get BASSA to force their hand now, end the uncertainty and lead to him getting closer to what he wants sooner rather than later.
I guess we will see, I very much think this is the opposite of a back down however and it will see Walsh give BASSA/ the crew one final opportunity to step down themselves.