Inexperienced BA Strike Breaker Crew Will not be Able to Respond to Passengers in Emergencies, Unite Warns

LONDON, January 25 - Unite the union today (Monday) warned that British Airways' passengers
could be put at risk if strike-breaking cabin crew do not have the experience
to respond to emergency situations.

As BA begins its conversion courses for staff who work elsewhere in the
airline, Unite says public concern will grow over plans to fast-track strike
breakers as more emerges about the skills crew need to care fully for
passengers.

The warning comes as one crew member reveals that last week a passenger
on a BA long haul flight would have died were it not for the intervention,
calm actions and dedicated care of the crew. One crew member on that flight
reports:

"I'm about to collapse after a 16 and half hour day. We had one of the
most serious medical incidents I have ever seen. A lady collapsed in the
aisle, full plane. After 30 mins she fitted and died. We did CPR, Defib (no
shock advised) PA'd for a Doctor - amazingly a heart surgeon came forward.
Stabbed adrenaline into the heart. After around 20 mins he advised us to
stop. ''She's dead'' he said. We replied that we have to continue for 30
mins. 4 mins later we got a pulse!! We supported her for an hour, breathing
for her until she was passed to medics on the ground and is now in a
hospital. As far as I know she is alive but very seriously ill.

"Even though the doctor gave up, we didn't and look at the outcome.
Imagine if strike breakers were there today? I am sure we would have lost a
fellow human being. These are the things we and the public should be worried
about. It will cost lives."

Praising the actions of the crew, Len McCluskey, Unite's assistant
general secretary, said: "Cabin crew's dedication and skill kept a person
alive when others had given up hope. BA should have nothing but praise for
its loyal and dedicated cabin crew whose first and last instinct is to care
for their passengers.

"Instead, BA resorts to intimidating them with macho threats to replace
crew with vastly inexperienced volunteers. Not only does this show contempt
for the crew, what message does it send to passengers who have paid to be
cared for by a premier airline?

"Airlines are run by teams but this cynical ploy will destroy industrial
relations at the company for years to come and trash this airline's brand
along the way."

    Unite says that at the very minimum, BA cabin crew are trained to

    1.  Deliver babies.
    2.  Administer CPR.
    3.  Administer Epipen injections to people who go into anaphylactic
        shock.
    4.  Operate the Defibrilator for people who have suffered cardiac arrest.
    5.  Take command of a life raft in a ditching scenario.
    6.  Deploy survival techniques.
    7.  Fire fight.
    8.  In search techniques when bomb threats are received.
    9.  In restraint techniques for disruptive passengers.
    10. In Pilot incapacitation i.e how to deal with a pilot who becomes
        unconscious.

Experienced crew have three months training. The union fears that BA's
21-day training programme for strike breakers may not result in a confident,
professional crew and will not support the team working a successful crew is
built upon.

Unite has condemned BA's increasingly aggressive recruitment operation as
an attempt to intimidate cabin crew out of taking industrial action to defend
their jobs and conditions. The ballot for industrial action opens today and
will close on February 22nd.

For further information, please call Pauline Doyle on +44(0)7976-832-861