BlueUpGood
Possibly the most succinct and well balanced post on this subject to date, IMHO.
MissM - for what it is worth, i disagreed with the withdrawal of ST as i knew that it would prove to be incredibly divisive even in the aftermath, and so it has proven (and its not over yet it would seem..).However, it is my understanding that ST was made non-contractual at the request of the unions themselves, for good financial reason. It is naive in the extreme to expect that the company would not use this as leverage in this dispute - there is no action without consequence and WW was hardly likely to give BASSA a red carpet ride all the way to Bedfont. Added to that, ALL employees were e-mailed and warned of the consequences of industrial action and in the face of this, the IA went ahead. To now hold this matter up as reason for prolonging the dispute is utterly ridiculous given the warnings that were given. Either the issues surrounding the IA are worth going on strike and losing ST for, or they are not and you turn up for work and try to negotiate a settlement. BASSA cannot stamp their feet and have it all their own way in every sense. Personally I was amazed that WW has offered to reinstate ST in any form at all (a fact that seems to have been lost on the media) and BASSA may live to regret not accepting it. Or may not.