Can employers remove benefits from employees who go on strike?

British Airways has announced that it will be removing travel concessions from employees who have participated in the current strike action. The cabin crews’ union, Unite, has indicated that it will contest this issue in the courts. Employers faced with the prospect of industrial action obviously need to consider all the options available to them to try and dissuade their employees from taking part. However, the withdrawal of benefits is a serious step to take. An employer wishing to withdraw benefits in these circumstances needs to take care to establish whether the benefits in question are contractual or not.