A strike by British Airways cabin crew planned for Christmas has been declared illegal in a High Court ruling.
The court agreed with BA that the cabin crew’s union, Unite, had not correctly balloted its members on the strike action.
BA complained that staff in the process of leaving the company had been balloted, breaching industrial relations law.
The 12-day strike was due to begin on 22 December.
It is not clear if Unite will try to appeal the decision.
Reacting to the decision, the union said it was a “disgraceful day for democracy”, adding that a fresh ballot would be held unless the dispute was resolved.
British Airways welcomed the decision, saying it would be welcomed by “hundreds of thousands of families in the UK and around the world”.
“There was never any need for a strike and we hope that Unite will take this opportunity to reflect before deciding its next steps,” a statement from the company said.
“In recent days, we believe Unite has formed a better understanding of our position and of the ways in which we could move forward.
“It has also become very clear that our customers do not believe that old-style trade union militancy is relevant to our efforts to move British Airways back toward profitability.”
BBC News – British Airways cabin crew strike illegal, court rules
