The Two Hundred Million Pound Strike

«This book is a worthy addition to the long tradition of writing about strikes. Ed Blissett presents a crisp, engaging and highly readable account of a strike by customer service agents at British Airways (BA) in the early 2000s. The strike was notable both because the strikers were mainly young women and because of the issue at its heart: an attempt to extend management control over workers through electronic surveillance. The strike was also notable because of its impact – costing the business the £200M of the title – and because it was successful; nearly twenty years after the dispute BA management is still to fully automate its system of labour control. Ed Blissett was the GMB official responsible for Heathrow at the time of the strike, and he draws upon his own records and recollections, along with interviews with participants, to tell its story. His account is truly excellent, an essential read for anyone with an interest in work and working life in today’s service economy.»

  

 

 

 

«From the check-in desks at London’s Heathrow Airport to British Airways’ executive offices and from union meeting rooms to the Prime Minister’s residence, a walk-out by BA’s heavily unionised customer services agents turned industrial relations and political life upside down in 2003. Ed Blissett brings a unique perspective – as an established researcher and former union leader – to his account of this massive and controversial unofficial strike. As one of the union officials closest to, and most in sympathy with, the strikers, he draws on personal and union materials from the time as well as recent interviews with airline managers and trade unionists. He couples this insider’s knowledge with a wealth of scholarly material on strikes, union organisation and management strategy to deliver a study that is both a compelling narrative of the conflict and a thoughtful assessment of the ebb and flow of workplace power.»