Two former shop stewards dismissed by British Airways (BA) after the strikes at Heathrow airport last summer will share a £500,000 payout from the union, reports suggest.
The wildcat strike in August 2005 by Transport and General Workers’ union (T&G) members was prompted by the dispute at the airline’s in-flight caterer, Gate Gourmet.
It brought Heathrow operations to a halt for two days and cost the airline an estimated £42m. The union could have been sued for the cost of the strike if BA had proved any involvement by its officials.
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Pat Breslin and Mark Fisher were alleged to be following orders from the T&G by organising the action as part of the union’s campaign against Gate Gourmet.
According to the Guardian, a deal was struck last week guaranteeing the two men the payout in return for signing a confidentiality agreement that prevents them discussing any details.
