Unite union asks members to fund further British Airways strike

The Unite trade union which represents the striking British Airways cabin crew members has called on its membership base to front up £700,000 in cash in order to keep the walk-outs running.

This amount is roughly equivalent to around two days’ worth of strike pay for the picketing crew members. As the latest round of industrial action involving British Airways enters its fourth day, the seventh so far this month, the Unite union is forking out £350,000 in strike pay every day.

The union has said that the request to members for more funds was due to many staff facing the hardships of attempting to survive on the £30-a-day wage that Unite pays them during strikes. The extra cash is being generated through a mandatory levy that will be imposed over the next three months at the 3,000 nationwide branches of the Unite union. The group currently has around 1.5 million members, with yearly subscriptions costing up to £132. Unite has made it clear that it does not wish for members to dip into their pockets to fund the support.

The action marks the first time in three years that industrial action by Unite required additional financial input, with General Secretary Tony Woodley claiming this showed just how committed the union was to winning the fight against the so-called bullies at British Airways. Officials at Unite denied allegations that they were short on funds, something unlikely, given the £11 million in donations they have provided to the Labour Party since 2005.

Industry observers have said that the latest strikes have raised a level of national support unseen since the heady days of the 1980’s when smaller union action was far more commonplace.