British Airways Workers Mull Heathrow Strike


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Aug. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The Transport & General Workers Union may ask members employed by British Airways Plc at London's Heathrow airport to consider a strike if the carrier continues a probe into workers involved in a walkout earlier this month.

``We would do whatever is necessary to ensure that the interests of our members are protected,'' Pauline Doyle, a spokeswoman for the union, said in a telephone interview today. ``What British Airways has done is not commensurate with being the world's favorite airline.''

British Airways, Europe's third-largest carrier, is investigating whether union members forced employees to take part in an illegal strike Aug. 11-12 that crippled the airline's operations at Heathrow and stranded 100,000 passengers. Baggage handlers stopped work to support 670 fellow union members at the catering company Gate Gourmet International AG who were fired earlier in the week.

The union said it will protect members if the airline begins a ``witch hunt.'' The union said it urged members at the airline to halt the walkout. U.K. workers are barred by law from holding strikes in support of employees at other companies.

Calls to the airline weren't returned. The Observer reported the possible strike vote earlier.

Separately, Gate Gourmet said it won a High Court injunction today against illegal activity by picketers at Heathrow. The T&G remains on strike against the caterer and is seeking the reinstatement of workers fired on Aug. 10.

``What's happened is an escalation of bullying,'' said Mark Lunn, a spokesman for Gate Gourmet. ``It's got ugly very quickly.''

Negotiations between the company and the union broke off last week.

The union also has urged the airline to scrap its contract with Gate Gourmet and employ other caterers who could hire Gate Gourmet workers. The airline says it has no plans to do so.

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