Litebulbs
Totally agree with your comment re strike joker. Which makes me wonder why the Unite leadership went along with the idea in the first place. Standing on the sidelines of this dispute, it seems sheer folly to leap straight in to strike action based on BA reducing the manning levels for cabin crew ex LHR. I could see slightly more sense in it if it was a reduction across the total operation, but given that LGW crews had been working to this level for a number of years, surely the basis was shaky from the outset.
I think that what happened was a serious miscalculation by the Unite leadership, who would have been persuaded to some degree by the branch executives. I believe they fully expected BA to roll over and capitulate. Messrs Woodley and Simpson were seriously embarrassed by the 12 days of Christmas announcement with Derek Simpson on record as being dismayed by it. It was probably a slight relief when BA got the injunction that halted any action, although it did then give Unite the opportunity to appear indignant. The trouble is that from that point onward it became a game of chicken. Unite couldn't back down in the run up to an election as it would have undermined Labour. BA management weren't going to back down as they needed to establish their ability to manage the business.
The problem the union now faces is that have not achieved anything to date and show no sign of being able to do so in the near future. The basis for the current ballot looks very linked to the previous dispute. The branches have been making noises that would be very hard to say were not linking the two. Consequently Unite find themselves in a bit of a bind. I think the recent comments from Len McCluskey regarding no strike action around the Royal wedding and Easter weekend, coupled with his comment about the media being obsessed with strike action may be an indication that he wants to see a different tack taken.