Minister condemns BA union's strike as 'totally unjustified'

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said the planned seven days of industrial action could put the future of the airline at risk, calling the walkouts “totally unjustified”.

Unite hit back at the minister, saying he was “badly informed” about the long-running dispute, adding that he should be urging the airline to reinstate an offer it withdrew last week.

Privately, union officials were said to be “livid” with Lord Adonis, one saying he had “blundered” into the dispute without knowing all the facts.

It is understood that the union has made representations to 10 Downing Street about the minister’s intervention.

Lord Adonis appealed to Unite to return to the negotiating table in an attempt to avert the industrial action planned to begin with a three-day strike from next Saturday, followed by a four-day stoppage from the following weekend.

Lord Adonis said: “The impact this will have will not only be deeply damaging on passengers, it will...threaten the very existence of British Airways.

“I absolutely deplore the strike, it is not only the damage it is going to do passengers and the inconvenience it’s going to cause – which is quite disproportionate to the issues at stake – but also the threat it poses to the future of one of our great companies in this country.”

Chancellor Alistair Darling also called for last-ditch talks to avoid the strike.

Conservative party chairman Eric Pickles yesterday wrote to the Prime Minister calling for him to unequivocally condemn the strike and suspend the party’s financial relationship with Unite until the dispute was settled.

“In the face of this reckless action, you are giving the impression of siding with the union. Since you became Prime Minister, 11m or 25 per cent of your funding has come from Unite.

“How can you talk about protecting jobs and beating the recession when you are so reliant on this increasingly militant union that is intent on bringing a British company to its knees?