BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A Christmas strike by British Airways (BA) workers may affect the carrier’s flights to the Federation and the rest of the region, posing jeopardy to Caribbean nationals in the diaspora seeking to return home for the holidays.
Unite Union, the agency representing the BA workers, announced earlier today (Dec. 14) that the strike would last from December 22 to January 2, during the peak of the holiday travel season. The planned industrial action comes after repeated clashes between management and crew members over staff reductions and the imposition of a two-year pay freeze.
According to the BA website, flight schedules for the strike period are being rescheduled, and affected persons will be notified directly by email or text. Customers booked to travel between December 22 and January 2 or for 48 hours on either side of those dates can change to another BA flight departing within the next 12 months at no charge.
If a flight is cancelled because of the industrial action, BA will give customers the option of refunding their ticket, rebooking on a different flight or rerouting their journey on another BA flight.
The uncertainty of the situation is sure to upset the waves of Kittitian and Nevisian nationals living in the UK and abroad who had made plans to return to the Federation to enjoy Christmas and New Year with their families.
In an attempt to clarify the potential local impact of the strike, SKNVibes contacted Elroy Lewis, Manager of TDC Airlines, which is the local agent responsible for coordinating BA’s weekly flights to St. Kitts.
Lewis said he had not received any BA communiqué informing of any industrial action, and further stated that he was unable to comment on the matter, as he is “not an official representative of the airline”.
In a statement published online, BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh said that the company would do everything it could to assist its customers. He also expressed his frustration at Unite Union, which he claimed had “disgracefully misled” the BA workers.
“We are working hard on contingency plans and will announce them as soon as they are finalised. We are also urging Unite to return to the negotiating table. But our cabin crew union has refused to engage in this process seriously.
“We do not understand why Unite is threatening you with disrupted travel plans…a strike can achieve nothing except huge upset and inconvenience. We will do our best to provide as much help and support as we can.”
BA began a weekly scheduled service from London-Gatwick to the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in January 2009. A second weekly flight is scheduled to be introduced early next year.
