As a divorce lawyer I should be rubbing my hands with glee at the announcement that millions of people will have their holidays cancelled because the inevitable result will be that marriages will yet again be torn apart. However, I am not. Like many others, I feel a sense of outrage at the decision by British Airways staff to strike at this special time.
During this past year, divorce lawyers countrywide have seen a massive increase in the numbers of people seeking divorces or advice about relationship breakdown, this is more than we have seen for many years. There is no doubt that the recession has had an impact on relationships and the stress of people losing their jobs and worrying about their financial situations has impacted greatly on relationships and caused a massive explosion. What British Airways workers have failed to take into account in deciding to raise their hands in glee and vote for a strike, is the devastating long term impact of that raised hand on relationships.
I have had no less than twenty people or more that have indicated that their entire hopes for their marriage were pinned on their Christmas vacation, that this will turn round their relationship and perhaps they can make a new start. Half of those are booked with British Airways and now have to face the devastating possibility that they will not be able to go on the relationship saving holiday in which they have put all their hopes and dreams. For many who have scrimped and saved to go away this Christmas it represents far more than just one holiday, it represents perhaps the last holiday that they can take for the foreseeable future together with their family. It represents the culmination of disappointment that they have had in losing their job or being passed over for someone else in the organisation who has remained, whereas they have been made redundant. The impact of what these BA workers are doing cannot possibly be under estimated and the reverberations that they will cause, like a massive stone in a pond, that will ripple for years to come in families.
I feel that I have to speak out at this time and try to appeal to their better side if indeed they have one. They may find that as a result of their actions that they bring down the entire organisation of which many were proud to call British Airways so that they too will find themselves in exactly the same position as those whose holidays and dreams they are shattering. I would ask that they think about what they are doing now in condemning so many to relationship hell over the Christmas period for no other reason than personal greed and gratification. It will be on their consciences that they are the catalyst for children never again to see their families together on such a holiday.
Divorce lawyers normally find that January is the busiest time of the year when people?s hopes and expectations over Christmas have not been fulfilled. Perhaps the holiday did not come about and they feel disappointed, or their expectation that their partners spend more time with them is not met. Furthermore, there are often arguments about the family when they feel that they have been claustrophobically holed up with the wider family for very long periods of time. These situations could have been avoided this year if families were allowed to continue with their booked vacations, have a rest, and get away from the unhappiness that has beset so many families during the last year of this recession. All of this will be cast aside for the sake of a few greedy and undeserving crew.
We live in a society where we should have mutual respect and understanding for each other. To strike at this time shows a complete lack of humanity or human kindness, for which the British have been previously envied. We do not need the world?s terrorists to bring us down. We simply need many people?s morale to be shattered from within and this is exactly what will occur if this British Airways strike goes ahead at this time.
I cannot remain silent in the face of what will be a relationship catastrophe for this country and hope that there is a way in which the parties involved can mediate to find a sensible solution. I would therefore say to every British Airways Cabin Crew member ? what you are about to do will affect the lives of people and their children for many years to come and I hope that when you continue with your action, that you will understand what you will inevitably bring about.
Are British Airways staff going to be the patrons of every divorce lawyer across Britain or is commonsense finally going to kick in.
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