GORDON Brown intervened personally in a bid to prevent planned strike action by British Airways cabin crew, it was claimed today.
The Prime Minister is said to have telephoned the joint general secretary of the Unite union, Tony Woodley, to discuss possible solutions to the dispute.
The move emerged as the Government was embroiled in an extraordinary row with the country’s biggest union – and one of Labour’s biggest donors.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said the planned seven days of industrial action could put the future of the airline at risk, calling the walk-outs “totally unjustified”.
Unite hit back at the minister, saying he was “badly informed” about the long-running dispute, adding that he should be urging the airline to reinstate an offer it withdrew last week.
Privately, union officials were said to be “livid” with Lord Adonis, one saying he had “blundered” into the dispute without knowing all the facts.
It is understood that the union made representations to 10 Downing Street about the minister’s intervention.
Lord Adonis appealed to Unite to return to the negotiating table in an attempt to avert the industrial action planned to begin with a three-day strike from next Saturday, followed by a four-day stoppage from the following weekend.
He urged the union “not to take action which not only would be deeply damaging to the economy and to the public but which could threaten the very jobs of their members which they are seeking to protect”.
BA was today expected to give details of how flights would be affected if the strikes go ahead in a bid to give “more certainty” to its customers.
A Downing Street spokeswoman did not deny the claim that Mr Brown had called Mr Woodley, but said there would be no “running commentary” on efforts to resolve the dispute.