British Airways pilots strike WILL go ahead as airline fails to get High Court injunction to block industrial action

• The British Airline Pilots’ Association said its members backed action nine to one 
• BA took legal action to halt the strikes saying it could cost them £40million a day
• A temporary High Court injunction to stop strikes happening was refused today
• Will mean passengers face cancellations and delays to flights over busy summer

British Airways pilots are to go on strike throwing airports into chaos, after the airline failed to get an injunction to block industrial action over pay.   

The airline had gone to the High Court in a bid to block pilots from taking strike saying it would be ‘enormously disruptive’ during the summer holiday period. 

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) announced on Monday that its members backed industrial action over a pay dispute by more than nine to one, on a turnout of 90 per cent. 

BA took legal action in an attempt to halt the strikes, which it claims are designed to cause ‘the maximum in disruption’ and could cost the airline up to £40 million a day.

Following a hearing in London, Mrs Justice Elisabeth Laing dismissed BA’s application for a temporary injunction, ruling that Balpa was ‘more likely than not’ to establish at a full trial that its strike ballots were properly issued. 

British Airways pilots have voted to go on strike, putting thousands of Britons’ holidays at risk

A map of the UK shows where there could be risk of strikes from industrial action by BA and easyJet staff  

The judge gave permission for BA to appeal against her ruling, which could be heard by the Court of Appeal as early as this Friday or at the start of the following week.

Balpa agreed to give an undertaking to the court that they would not issue a notice of industrial action pending the outcome of any appeal.

Following the ruling today, one irate passenger Michael Hughes said: ‘If my family holiday on Aug 9 is screwed up by this and I lose ££££s in onward travel costs there will be hell.’

While another said: ‘British Airways, the gift that keeps taking away. It looks like my trip to visit my 80+ year old parents in Scotland is screwed.’    

BA’s barrister John Cavanagh QC earlier told the court that Balpa had not provided a list of the categories of employees who had been balloted, and did not indicate when the strike action would take place. He said it was ‘likely to commence on or about August 7’.

Mr Cavanagh said: ‘There can be no doubt that the timing of the action is deliberate and designed to cause the maximum in financial loss and disruption for BA, and the maximum in disruption and hardship for BA’s passengers (and those they are going to visit), plus business partners and other employees.

‘The action is due to commence in peak holiday period, in the middle of school summer holidays, and at the busiest time of BA’s year.’

He said there was ‘no doubt that if the industrial action takes place there will be very grave disruption indeed’.

Mr Cavanagh added: ‘It is impossible accurately to assess BA’s financial loss if the industrial action were to go ahead, save that it will be very substantial indeed, running to £30-40 million per day.’

BA pilots receive generous perks, including an hourly allowance whenever they are flying and heavily discounted flights for themselves and their family. BA pilots also stay in more luxury hotels than the cabin crew (pictured)

Balpa’s barrister Simon Cheetham QC argued that trade unions have ‘a degree of discretion as to how it categorises workers’, and that Balpa ‘was only required to set out general job categories’.

He said the level of detail BA argued Balpa was required to provide amounted to ‘a disproportionate interference with the right to strike’.

Mr Cheetham added that Balpa had not yet decided when strike action would take place, and that the union ‘wishes to have the power to call industrial action at any time during the period between August 7 and January 21 (2020), the maximum period during which the ballot is valid’.          

In a statement after the ballot result was announced on Monday, Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton called on BA to ‘table a sensible improved offer if a strike is to be averted’.

BA said its offer to pilots was worth 11.5% over three years, adding: ‘We are very disappointed that Balpa has chosen to threaten the travel plans of thousands of our customers, over the summer holidays, with possible strike action.

‘We remain open to working with Balpa to reach an agreement, which we have been doing since December.’

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