In 2009, cabin crew in the BASSA union embarked on a historic, two-year
battle against British Airways which was seeking to impose reduced crew
levels and to transform working conditions. In the face of employer
hostility, legal obstruction, government opposition and adverse media
coverage, this workforce, diverse in terms of gender, sexuality, race
and nationality undertook determined resistance against this offensive.
Notably, their action included twenty-two days of strike action that saw
mass participation in rallies and on picket lines. The dispute cost
British Airways 150 million in lost revenue and its main outcome was the
cabin crew's successful defence of their union and core conditions.
Here, in their own words, Cabin Crew Conflict tells the strikers' story,
focusing on cabin crew responses, perceptions of events, and their lived
experiences of taking industrial action in a hostile climate.
Foregrounding questions of class, gender and identity, and how these
were manifest in the course of the dispute, the authors highlight the
strike's significance for contemporary employment relations in and
beyond the aviation industry. Lively and insightful, Cabin Crew Conflict
explores the organisational and ideological role of the trade union, and
shows how a 'non-traditional' workforce can organise and take effective
action.
