News: BmiBaby pilots call off strike plans
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Flights > News > # 947 (06/09/2006)
BmiBaby pilots have called BmiBaby pilots call off strike plans off strike plans after their union reached a pay deal with the airline’s bosses.
A strike at the budget carrier would have affected all BmiBaby airports including Birmingham, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, Manchester and Nottingham East Midlands. Parent company BMI is still in talks with pilots at its regional and long-haul bases over a similar dispute.
If strikes do go ahead, it could lead to disruption for thousands of passengers at London Heathrow and other major airport across the country. Pilots claim the airline has imposed a number of decisions on pay, pensions and flying rotas without consultation, but BMI insist they are keen to stage talks.
Jim McAuslan, the general secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), said : “We have held intensive negotiations over the past few days and made substantial progress.”
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Comment:
It goes without saying that it is in the best interests of all parties to resolve their differences through constructive dialogue rather than strike action, but following last month's terror alerts, and the huge disruptions they caused, passengers were never going to have much sympathy for aviation industry employees who went on strike, whatever their grievances.
Of course, this should not give airlines an excuse to steamroller through any unpopular new terms of employment, but BMI in particular, having recovered far more quickly from last month's chaos than their larger rivals BA, will want to be keen to ensure that negotiations continue, and that the prospect of any further strikes is abated.
