Downing Street Says » BA Strike

Asked for the Prime Minister’s views on the proposed BA strike, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press that the Prime Minister had been speaking about this on Woman’s Hour this morning, where he had said that this was the wrong time, it was unjustified, deplorable and was not in the interests of the company, the workers or the national interest.

The PMS said that the Prime Minister had also made clear that he hoped the strike would be called off and that a way could be found to bring the two sides together.

Asked if the Prime Minister blamed the unions and the strikers or the company management, the PMS said that the Prime Minister’s view was very clear on this. It would be in no one’s interest for the strike to go ahead and there was no point at this stage trying to identify who may or may not be responsible. The most important thing was for the two parties to come together.

Put that the Prime Minister was asked about this on Friday and had used different language and had he been in discussion with the leaders from Unite over the weekend, the PMS replied that in regard to the second point, we wouldn’t comment on who the Prime Minister may or may not have spoken to over the weekend.

The PMS added that the Prime Minister wouldn’t necessarily use exactly the same words every time he spoke about an issue. On Friday, the Prime Minister had made it clear that a disruption to services would be completely unacceptable. What had changed over the weekend was that the strike was a now a few days closer to happening. The PMS said that the Government’s view on the issue had been consistent on this.

Put that saying disruption was unacceptable was very different form saying the strike was deplorable, the PMS said that nothing had changed; the Prime Minister had exactly the same view as he had had on Friday. It was in everyone’s interest that the parties came together.

Asked whether the Prime Minister would rule himself out of acting as a broker in any deal, the PMS said that the Prime Minister was being closely briefed by colleagues on this, including Lord Adonis who was very much engaged in the process.

Asked if the Prime Minister was actually doing anything in terms of the strike or was he leaving it all to Lord Adonis, the PMS said that he didn’t accept the premise of the question. The Prime Minister was completely briefed on this. However, it was for the relevant department to take the lead.

It was a difficult situation for the company, its workers and its customers and it was a national issue, so people would expect the Prime Minister to be closely involved.

Asked if Lord Adonis would be taking on a broker role, the PMS said that it was for the parties themselves to come together and there were various mechanisms in place for that to happen. The Government would continue to make it clear that this strike was in no one’s interest.

Asked when the Prime Minister last met Charlie Whelan, the PMS said that he wouldn’t comment on the Prime Minister’s meetings with individuals.

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» Monday, March 15, 2010

BA Strike

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