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As you know, industrial disputes can be emmotive but I bear you no more aggresion by the use of the word temerity (bold or rash) than I am sure you do towards WW by calling him a game player.(In fact, I bear you no aggresion at all) Simply put, can you seriously believe that a man who is involved in securing a fair and descent wage for tens of thousand of his staff, not to mention a good return to those who have tied up their capital by investing in BA, would play games with the union and risk disaster.
I can't.
Before anyone tries the 'he's doing his best not to pay us a good wage' line of arguement I'd like to say that 10+ years working for other airlines has made me think otherwise. That you are on the brink of disaster surely cannot be blamed on his actions so far. To have clearly made offers, set deadlines and conditions and stuck to them can only be the actions of a competent manager. I have noticed that during my career the best managers I have met have been both firm and fair and it seems to me that WW has been nothing if not both of those. Needless to say they are not always popular but that is not a trait for which they are paid.
It's true that you never have said that BASSA is a transparent organisation and therein lies much of the problem. If it were then I think you would have had resolution some time ago as the members could have acted earlier to prevent what seems to have been deliberate misdirection.
This strike is not a game, it's a tragedy. BA does indeed have the potential to be the worlds best and most profitable airline, recession or not, and the sooner the staff all start pulling in the same direction to that effect, the better for everyone.