Gordon Brown labels planned Easter strikes deplorable

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken out publicly over the ongoing and bitter dispute between British Airways and cabin crew members, saying that suggestions of a strike over Easter were deplorable and that the ramifications could be widespread.

The intervention into an industrial dispute is rare by a ruling prime minister but comes at a time when Brown’s governing Labour Party lags significantly behind the Conservative opposition in polling ahead of a national election which is likely to take place on the 6th of May. The election can be held no later than the 3rd of June.

Unite, the union representing BA cabin crew, has scheduled walk-outs of up to seven days immediately prior to the traditionally busy Easter holiday period, a move which will throw the travel plans of hundreds of thousands into chaos. Compounding the matter are fears that rail workers across the UK will follow suit and schedule strikes for the Easter weekend. Mr Brown has stated that any such action would be unthinkable to the British public, and would not be in the best interests of either company or its employees. The public outburst by the PM comes following heated talks with respective union leaders over the weekend.

For their part, Unite has slammed the hard-line stance taken by Mr Brown, claiming he was poorly informed by Transport Minister Andrew Adonis. The Conservative Party also denounced Brown’s statement, saying he should sever all ties with Unite. Brown was labelled as hypocritical by the shadow economy spokesperson George Osborne who accused the PM of taking money from the union on one hand while condemning the strike on the other.