Shadow Foreign Minister David Lamy apologized for condemning plans to strike British Airways workers, saying he had “made a mistake” about the facts.
Labor’s stance on strikes has come under intense scrutiny over the past week after several front courts ignored Keir Starmer’s order not to attend pickets during the three days of RMT industrial action.
Asked if he supported BA’s plans for a strike, mostly by check-in staff, by Sophie Raworth at the BBC’s Sunday Morning, Lamy said: “No, I’m not doing it. No, no – that’s no, that’s definitely not. “
Some shadow cabinet colleagues were annoyed by Lamy’s comments, which went beyond the agreed line of support for workers’ rights to protect their livelihoods, while insisting that the government should do more to prevent strikes.
In a letter to a voter involved in the dispute, first reported by the Mirror, Lamy said he had been misinformed and believed staff were pushing for a 10% pay rise. In fact, they are demanding a return on pay, which was reduced during the pandemic, and are protesting against the airline’s tactics, which they say are “dismissal and re-hiring”.
Lamy said he had “misheard” Raworth’s question. “When she said that the workers wanted to cancel the previous 10% wage cut, I misunderstood that this meant that they were looking for an increase in wages above inflation,” he wrote.
“I did not know the details of the case. It is right for those of us in public life to admit that we have made a mistake. With that in mind, I apologize to all BA workers. ”
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Although he did not actually confirm his support for the proposed strike, he added that if the government had banned the dismissal and re-hiring, as Labor demanded, “you would not be in this disgusting position to be able to demand what is right.”
About 700 employees at the Heathrow Center in BA, represented by the GMB union, voted last week to take industrial action. Most are check-in staff, and GMB says the majority are low-paid women.
Lamy’s remarks on Sunday infuriated union leaders who had already responded negatively to Starmer’s ban on picketing.
Unite Secretary-General Sharon Graham said Sunday that “support for bad bosses is a new low for Labor.”
The Guardian understands that union secretaries are due to meet with senior Labor officials on Friday to sign a policy report. A party insider described the mood among union leaders as “bouncing lunatics.”
Starmer backed away from the dismissal of any of the five front judges who were pictured showing solidarity with the RMT picketers. Instead, the main whip of the Labor Party spoke to each of them and sent them a letter about their future behavior.
During a visit to the Sanatan Mandir Temple in Crowley, West Sussex, on Friday, Starmer said he thought the matter was over. “I was very clear that the responsible government was gathering the negotiating parties around the table, so I took the approach I took,” he said.
“The main whip has already dealt with those who did not follow the advice, and this is a completely satisfactory result.”
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