Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The BA Strike and Free Labour

I've been trying to get some thoughts together for a day or two about the court ruling that pulled the rug from under the feet of the BA staff who were planning on going on strike this week.

I've not been able to do so, but thankfully former ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, now of Lancaster University, has done so far more succinctly than I could have.

I agree with every word Mr Murray says on the subject. Seumas Mines has written a longer background piece on the growing trend of courts banning strikes on technicalities. I quote:

"The heavily one-sided nature of the laws under which these cases are brought means it is almost impossible to hold a court-proof ballot... And judges are increasingly introducing tests of "proportionality" and "balance of inconvenience" between workforce, employer and public, which have nothing to do with the original legislation. The rule of thumb is now that if a strike is likely to be effective, and an employer chooses to go to court, it will be outlawed."
















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