Indeed DB............but as a body accountable to its membership for the use of their subscriptions Balpa does not have the luxury of concealing the origin or quantum of its resources to fight this case........unlike a litigant in person who is under no obligation to disclose the fact that his legal fees are underwritten.

To alay the fears of those non BA members who might themeslves need recourse to the legal resources of Balpa in relation to non related matters some reassurance from the general Secretary that appropriate resources are available without prejudice to the routine business of Balpa might be appropriate.

On the other hand if BALPA wins then can they claim costs?

Sure they can claim costs (unlike in the Industrial Tribunal) but the amount awarded is invariably far short of the amount incurred....and you have to be in it to win it! which comes back to the point of my original post that this appears to be a very very high stakes gamble by a small union with pretty paltry resources.

I cannot imagine for one moment that these uncomfortable facts will have escaped Wee Willies attention and the fact that this battle is now in part to be played out in court...plays right into BAs hands.

"POULTRY resources'??? It made I larf... but maybe they could run a chicken farm. :oh:

Pressman I happen to know two people who are currently receiving financial help from IALPA for court cases yet to be heard. Neither they nor anyone I know has heard about "bankruptcy" or such problems. I think you are speculating - or are you stating what you know to be a fact?

As for the BA "loss of reputation and brand" ... I really do think that most barristers would prefer to be arguing for BALPA than for BA (what with the ammunition the T5 thing is producing...!). It is hard to believe that so many seem to be intimidated by such ill judged action by BA.

I don't think you will find many barristers will turn down BA's business.

Too right. The opportunity to engage in months of sophistry for a blue chip that turns over £9bn a year would be irresistable to a group of professionals who make airline captains salaries look like van drivers.:eek:

Why they haven't had a chance like this since the T5 enquiry!

For an employer to win a case like this would it would rock the foundations of our (sort of) democracy. And where would it leave the relationship between Labour and the unions? It just won't happen, or if it does, it'll be a seismic event in industrial relations.

Quite right. If BA win this it reshapes the industrial climate not just in the UK but across the whole of Europe. A lot of unions are looking at this case. It is in their interests that BALPA win. It is not in their interests that BALPA lose through a lack of funding. Read into that what you will.

BALPA is well funded, am sure it could muster more cash if reqd.

If it were to come 2nd in the event(which i think is not the way it will work out) best to wind all the UK clocks back to about 1971/77.

BALPA has a very strong hand, I wish em well......

ladies and gentlemen please. I do sometimes dispair at some of the posts here.

This is nothing more than BA management once again showing the world that their heads are firmly up their own backsides. This action radiates an air of typical BA arrogance yet like most incidents lately, it will come back and haunt them.

Why waste time even posting on this subject at the moment as such postings fuel BA's fire. Wait for the guaranteed BALPA victory and then post until the cows come home.

Actualy generally Balpa are not well funded....their accounts are a matter of record for any member. A union with only 12000 (?) members simply does not have the resources to take on potential multi million pound litigation.

If, as is being suggested, assurances have been gained from other unions to underwrite a war chest then that is great.........but on any other basis this is a disaster in the making. In the absence of reassurance from Balpa members have every reason to ask how this adventure is impacting on Balpas ability to look after the interests and issues of all its other members.

at posters like tinytim. Stop posting nonsense that takes away from the valiant effort being made by BALPA. They are in possession of all the facts you are not. Posts such as yours take away support which plays into the other sides hands.

The other side does read these posts.

Get behind your union, don't undermine.

This link makes interesting reading

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle3688337.ece

oh really? exactly what nonsense are you refering to Yamaha?

Getting carried away in a tidal wave of emotion surrounding a just cause is no reason not to ask (as a member of BAlPA) exactly how they are going to fund this given the massive cost of the express train now boarded which has left the station.

Me too. Could not agree more.

I have refrained from commenting on Tinytim's posts because experience suggests that those who repeatedly post such confident, but ill informed, assertions just keep on going regardless. Here we have a guy - or even a dog which has got itself a bone - who just knows that Really? In fact he is happy to about legal costs. He then compares these estimated costs to his version of the BALPA budget (a budget of all things) without any consideration of the fact that this is manifestly an exceptional event.

He uses this comparison to declare that there may not be money to fight legal cases for other pilots and adds this pontification I wonder if the General Secretary would find this patronising?

tinytim is of course welcome to articulate his rumours and guesses and the like. But it might be better if he spent more time informing himself about the matters on which he evidently considers himself to be something of an expert.

And while I am at it, the statement "plays right into BAs hands" is a judgment to which he is welcome. It is nonetheless an ill-judged position and shows little appreciation of what is involved.

I was wondering if Queens Council could "cut and paste" a series of posts from the T5 thread here at "Rumours & News". He might construct quite a large collection of statements that might be called "defamatory" or "libellous"...Although most posts here are made with a false name, he might have some way of attributing them to BALPA members :=

Well hopefully flying judge (nee lawyer) will get the bench and we're quids in.:}

However much some of you may not like the question....it is a very simple one.

Given that Balpa have opened a seemingly blank open cheque book to fight this cause.

Where are they getting the money from to fight it?

Neither their income nor their disclosed reserves support litigation of this potential magnitude............

Tiny Tim has the right of it. However, I suppose all the BA BALPA members will be more than happy to contribute to a fund to support those expensive lawyers.....

So Tiny Tim, what are you proposing that BALPA should do then?

Yes, (to paraphrase J.F. Kennedy) the costs of action are high but so are the costs of inaction! If it's BA now who is going to be next?