Pilots union close to winning recognition at Jet2.com airline

The pilots union will today (November 3) try to persuade a hearing in London that it should be granted the right to represent workers at Jet2.com - without the need for a ballot.
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) is following the UK’s statutory procedure for union recognition introduced by Labour in 2000.
The Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) – the quango responsible – has already established that 62 percent of the workers in the proposed bargaining unit are members of the association.
BALPA wants to negotiate pay and conditions for 247 “flight deck pilots” of whom 174 are union members.
Jet2.com is a low cost airline with bases at Newcastle, Edinburgh, Belfast, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, East Midlands, Blackpool and Exeter airports. It employs more than 1.000 people.
Today’s hearing will decide if BALPA can be granted recognition without a ballot.
Under the law a union needs a membership level of 50 percent plus one person to secure recognition – but employers are allowed to argue for a ballot.
Firms that are hostile to unions hope they can pressurise their employees into voting "no" during the balloting period.
But it would be unusual for the CAC to demand a ballot when a union has more than 60 percent membership.
Today’s hearing is at 10.30am in the Hilton London Euston Hotel, Upper Woburn Place, WC1H 0HT. It is open to the public.
The CAC website has a detailed report of the acceptance decision and the bargaining unit decision for BALPA’s application for recognition at Jet2.com.

Tony Woodley's anti cuts tour hits the north

Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley is on a speaking tour to encourage the union's members to campaign against the UK government's cuts.
There are four dates left:
Tuesday November 2, at 7pm in the Hallmark Hotel, Midland Road, Derby, DE1 2SQ.
Wednesday November 3, at 7pm in Civic Hall, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS1 1UR.
Thursday November 4, at 7pm in the Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead, NE8 1HH.
Woodley will also be visiting Scotland next week but the evenue has not been announced.
Here's the Unite press release announcing the tour.
The union had a successful meeting in central London to bring together activists to discuss the cuts - as reported on The Workers United.
An election to replace Woodley at the top of Unite is under way.

Red Pepper magazine on Countering The Cuts Myths