As we all commented at the time of the first strike call that McCluskey saw the "BASSA Disaster" with the potential damage it could cause to his union leadership ambitions early-on and distanced himself very smartly. What surprised me is how McCluskey, Woodley, Simpson, Holley, et. al., all continued to deliver the superior, righteous indignation, style union rhetoric (including factually provable lies in their often quoted numbers) to the press at large thus making themselves all look like clumsy and foolish dinosaurs in this progressive age where collaboration is the modern flavour for Industrial Relations. I have the vivid memory of feeling sorry for the undignified sight of Woodley at the end of his career being interviewed in front of the BBC News cameras trying desperately to spin the fact that only 3500 had actually been bothered to reject BA's offer and to make it sound like a crushing victory when everyone around could see it was all over!
Perhaps UNITE may be able to take the BASSA Disaster (together with its apparently overall declining membership) as a very big learning experience on how to modernise its entire approach to IR moving forwards. We can only hope they have learned that endorsing picketing with piggy posters, Hitler affiliations, men's underwear and mob mentality, jingoistic, bullying tactics, while BA's management and staff continued to work and respond professionally in the face of this unacceptable behaviour, just made the Union and its members look stupid and should have no place in the future.
No doubt we will see in time if anything has been learnt............
Last edited by Phil Rigg; 10th Aug 2010 at 16:08.