Unite says British Airways Strikes May End if Walsh Steps Down
Unite, the union representing the cabin crew striking at British Airways, says that they don’t want to negotiate with Willie Walsh, the chief executive of the carrier, anymore. They would prefer the strike negotiations to be handled by chief financial officer Keith Williams, as they believe he will be able to offer them a deal they could agree to so that the industrial action can end.
Duncan Holley, the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association secretary, thinks that an agreement will be easier to reach if they don’t have to negotiate with Walsh anymore. He said that Williams is a trusted and well respected member of the carrier’s management, and they feel they could have a better relationship with him. If Williams was to offer them a proposal, he added, they would be more likely to sign it.
Williams was the one who headed the negotiating table with British Airways’ union earlier this year over the £3.7 billion pension problem. A union source says that the pension deal is proof that they are capable of making an agreement with the airline. They only need a reasonable manager, he continued, which is what they have been missing. The source added that the management run by Walsh is dragging down the carrier.
Furthermore, Williams is going to become the new chief executive of the carrier later in the year when the merger between British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia is completed. Walsh will then become the head of the new company, although the airlines will operate under their own companies.
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