The UK High Court has outlawed the imminent strikes planned by BA’s cabin crew union.

The three weeks of strikes, which would have cost the airline about £138  million, were banned after the airline’s lawyers successfully argued that the strike was unlawful because cabin crew union Unite had not properly complied with the legal requirement to send everyone eligible to vote the “exact breakdown of the ballot result”.

Sounds like a technicality, and of course, the union says the ruling is “an affront to demoracy”.

BA has plenty of trouble – the recession, the volcano and the strike in March have cost it hundreds of millions of pounds.

While there is some sympathy for the cabin crews’ demands, another crippling strike at BA at this time would be somewhat like the strike at Transnet where strikers are physically attacking the company’s assets. Wrecking the business that feeds you is not really the way to go. If you’re sitting at the end of a fragile branch of a tree, perhaps you’d better put down the saw.