BA talks continue

Wednesday, 30 July 2003 12:00 AM

British Airways negotiator Mervyn Walker will meet with representatives of three trade unions representing BA staff to move closer to resolving recent disputes.

Initial talks between BA, the TGWU, the GMB and Amicus took place yesterday at the TUC headquarters and were described by Mr Walker as 'very constructive'. Similar sentiments were expressed by the TUC.

The talks had been triggered by last weeks walk out by check in staff, which was caused by concerns about a new swipe card system that they feel is being imposed on them unfairly.

The swipe cards are part of a computerised clocking on system that was to be imposed in August, but many workers are worried about other possible uses of the information stored by the computer.

The issue has split the workforce. Although only checking in staff walked out, engineers have also expressed their concerns about the system, while pilots raised concerns about the damage the walkout has done to business, describing the issue, as 'trivial', suggesting it could undermine the good work of the unions in aiding recent restructuring.

The trade unions involved in the talks also represented different positions with the GMB taking a less compromising view of the swipe cards than the TGWU, while Amicus was the first to suggest wider TUC involvement in the talks. But TUC involvement appears to have eased the process by uniting the unions around a common position.

Heightened tension between the airline and its staff is also fuelled by recent difficulties in arriving at a pay settlement. Part of the talks yesterday are believed to have concluded that the issue of a 3% pay increase, which has been held up for months, should be dealt with separately to the swipe card debate.

The firm has focused heavily on reducing costs after making heavy losses in the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks on the USA. It returned to profit last year, but the industry has been hit again by the recent conflict in Iraq and the Sars outbreak.

British Airways has made further commitments not to alter the working hours of staff to alleviate concerns that the swipe card system would be used to enforce new working practices. It has also promised that the cards would remain voluntary until more detailed talks can take place.

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