British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has just called off their scheduled strike on September 27th. This is the last strike among the three.
On September 9th and 10th British Airways pilots grounded nearly all planes, due to a pay dispute with management. We explained in detail why the strikes happened at the time and that an another one was expected on September 27th.
Call Off The Strike
Earlier today, BALPA called off the strike on September 27th because they think it is “now time for a period of reflection before the dispute escalates further and irreparable damage is done to the brand.”
“Someone has to take the initiative to sort out this dispute and with no sign of that from BA the pilots have decided to take the responsible course. In a genuine attempt at establishing a time out for common sense to prevail, we have lifted the threat of the strike on the 27th September.
BA passengers rightly expect BA and its pilots to resolve their issues without disruption and now is the time for cool heads and pragmatism to be brought to bear. I hope BA and its owner IAG show as much responsibility as the pilots.”BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton
BALPA do note that they “retain the right to announce further strike dates if management refuses to negotiate meaningfully.”
Thoughts Behind The Call-Off
I think BALPA is definitely thinking a lot on how to put British Airways management in an awkward position. Due to the upcoming strike, a lot of the flights on September 27th are already cancelled and many passengers aware of the strike have booked alternative flights to avoid British Airways. If these flights operate as usual, there could be many empty seats. Although the strike is not coming, the revenue is going down just like on September 9th and 10th.
Additionally, BALPA makes the public think they have control over many things and they are the side that actually cares about the passengers. The management just let all the cancellations happen and thought nothing from the passengers’ perspective.
Bottom Line
This is a piece of news that even British Airways management did not think of; they are stunned at this surprising news. As mentioned on the website “we have just received this news of the strike cancellation, so we are now considering the implications for our schedule and we will give updates in due course.”
Do you think calling off the strike on September 27th was the right thing for BALPA to do?