NET-workers

British Airways staff returned to work today drawing national attention and closing down Heathrow Airport when baggage handlers, loaders, and cargo staff joined catering workers in a 24-hour walkout. The workers are all represented by the same union (the Transport and General Workers' Union). The union reported on August 10:

The airline caterer Gate Gourmet, which this morning sacked over three hundred catering workers at Heathrow, was this afternoon accused by the T&G of designing and manufacturing the situation. The union made it clear that the flashpoint issue - the hiring of 130 seasonal workers - was a provocative move because never before had such extra staff been taken on while permanent staff were under threat of redundancy.

In a letter to customers, the employees state:

On Wednesday, August 10th, 2005, Gate Gourmet sacked 800 workers employed at Heathrow. Fellow workers reporting for duty on Thursday 11th August 2005 were faced with the ultimatum of signing a new contract which would slash pay and conditions or face the sack.

As catering assistants we are paid just £12,000 a year. As drivers we are paid less than £16,000 per year.

These are very low wages by any standards, but especially in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Yet Gate Gourmet is seeking to push them even lower, and us even closer to poverty.

The AP reports how management is reacting to the unexpected show of solidarity:

"This is not our dispute," [British Airways Chief Executive Rod] Eddington said. "Our customers must come first and everyone involved in creating this chaotic situation must come to their senses."

Interestingly, most of the articles I've seen talking about the strike (BBC, AP) don't even touch on what the real issues are underlying the strike. If they mention the catering workers at all, it is buried beneath paragraphs of text lamenting the frustrations of the passengers. To me, the news story is that Gate Gourmet is not being fair to it's workers, not that customers faced a day of inconvenience. The stories even give the impression that that the workers are at fault for the "disturbance."

The BBC also reports that the dispute is costing British Airways £10m per day. What I'd like to know, is how this price tag compares with the cost of treating their workers better and negotiating fairly?