A catering row in British Airways escalated this evening prompting the airline to halt all check-ins to its flights at London's Heathrow airport.
BA staff walked off the job after in sympathy with staff sacked by the Gate Gourmet company which supplies food to BA flights. The Transport and General Workers Union said 800 workers at Gate Gourmet had been sacked.
It is a classic American union-busting exercise. BA must put pressure on this company
TGWU general secretary Tony WoodleyThe union's general secretary, Tony Woodley, had warned of a possible escalation of the dispute and called on BA to put pressure on the American-owned catering firm to return to the negotiating table.
He accused Gate Gourmet of behaving in a "disgraceful" fashion and said it had unilaterally decided to reduce the pay and conditions of its staff.
"It does not want to talk and it does not want to compromise. It is a classic American union-busting exercise. BA must put pressure on this company," he said.
The union said there was no blame on BA, but called on the airline to pressurise Gate Gourmet to stop the dispute continuing.
Gate Gourmet also provides in-flight catering at other airports across the UK, including Gatwick, Glasgow, Bristol and Newcastle. The company said it was trying to change outdated working practices to improve productivity in the face of huge losses, and claims workers at Heathrow staged an unofficial strike yesterday which led to the dispute.
The company insisted today that the workers who had been sacked would remain sacked. BA chief executive Rod Eddington said earlier that the airline was taking an active role in trying to encourage both sides in the dispute to reach a speedy resolution. He said he was "encouraging both sides to continue talking in a bid to settle their differences as soon as possible".
The continuing industrial difficulties at Gate Gourmet have escalated, resulting in a stoppage by some British Airways staff
Heathrow Airport spokesman
A Heathrow Airport spokesman said tonight: "The continuing industrial difficulties at Gate Gourmet have escalated, resulting in a stoppage by some British Airways staff.
"As a consequence, there is likely to be considerable delays to British Airways services for the rest of the day. There may be some disruption to other airlines. If you are concerned about the status of your flight then you are advised to contact your airline."
As yet Dublin Airport Authority are not aware of any knock-on delays.
PA