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.
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.