Union busting examples:
Three years ago, the Company commissioned a report advising them on the best approach to "Union busting" within cabin crew, details were recently leaked to and published in the Guardian newspaper, who alone, amidst the tabloid hysteria, were able to see the true agenda.
It was entitled, "A review of where BA are in the relationship with BASSA": its main aims are reprinted below.
"Hitting BASSA where it hurts"
"Taking an 'anti-BASSA' approach"
"Seeking help from the parent union to 'divide and rule' "
"An anti-BASSA approach is required given that with its present structure and leadership there is no prospect of moving towards the end game let alone partnership"
When 100 academic experts later wrote to The Guardian to voice their concerns that blatant "union busting" by British Airways was the true agenda driving the industrial dispute, rather than any much vaunted cost cutting measures, Maria da Cunha, the Company's Director of Government Affairs, replied to The Guardian, stating, "Your leading industrial relations academics can rest easy. We have no intention of breaking Unite."
The Company further stated that the document was just one of many commissioned by the airline, even though in truth it was the only one (this admission is perhaps rather more disturbing than she intended). Despite BA's corporate protests that they were "far from trying to break the union" and their insistence their objectives were purely research and to find 'new, mutually beneficial ways of working together', BASSA has been briefed that Union busting firms such as the infamous US based Burke Group employ six main principles:
1: Decapitate the Union by taking out key officials undermining their organisational structure.
2: Employ threats, intimidation, and surveillance to create a climate of fear amongst workers to undermine their faith in the Union's ability to protect and to divide the workforce.
3: Use litigation to distract, drain the financial resources and break the power of the Union.
4: Use alternative sources of labour for product delivery to undermine the confidence of the workforce and any industrial action.
5: Establish rival organisations, staff associations or more compliant 'Unions'.
6: Employ external advisors.
Are BA following this blueprint to the ‘Union Busting’ letter.....
1) BASSA’s Branch Secretary has been sacked, the director of all BASSA communications has been sacked, the Treasurer is on a charge of gross misconduct, the rep in charge of all dispute related suspensions has been suspended and charged with gross misconduct, another key rep is facing a charge of gross misconduct and the Convener, the Deputy Convener and the Chairman all still face disciplinary charges.
2) There have been sixty crew suspensions and fifteen dismissals for dispute related 'offences' all run by a separate 'Backing BA' team and conducted in rooms specifically in use for 'Backing BA', Asset Protection have been photographed sitting outside crews houses and are actively monitoring all websites mentioning the dispute. Crew are afraid to speak to anyone for fear of being reported and other departments and all levels of management are being actively encouraged to report crew.
3) Various well known court cases and injunctions have been instigated against Unite.
4) Money was no object, even the incredibly expensive wet leasing of aircraft, dispersal of revenue to other carriers. The full weight of the corporate machine was behind the 'Backing BA' agenda, no matter what the cost, alternate staff were drafted in from around the globe (VCC’s), all to directly undermine lawful industrial action.
5) The PCCC was created & openly encouraged.
6) The commissioning of reports, employment of Union busters and the engagement of the American multi-national Baker McKenzie, the second largest law firm in the world as their legal advisors.