BA Strikes

Labour desperate to end BA strike with election looming

Gordon Brown's officials in close contact with union chiefs as Tories try to stoke row over party's funding

Desperate attempts to end the BA cabin crew strike were being mounted by government ministers last night as Labour battled to prevent the dispute from wrecking its preparations for the general election.

Gordon Brown's officials were in close touch with Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of the Unite union, throughout yesterday amid hopes that a settlement could be reached that would prevent the action spreading into next weekend. But sources close to the dispute said last night there was no basis for a deal and that no further talks were scheduled.

Yesterday the Tories turned up the pressure on Labour over the strike and its links with Unite by launching a new advertising campaign showing Brown dressed as a BA pilot under the headline "Gordon is doing sweet BA".

BA cabin crew are striking, and the anti union hysteria in the press has been so crazy about this. Like its a return to the 1970s, totally hyperbolic.

You see the chattering class flies and so this gets a lot more attention, more than say if bus drivers were striking instead.

They seem to be shocked that trades union are exercising their democratic right to strike.