Gatwickba
BA changed the Policy for Staff Travel over a period of 3 years of so called "discussions" with trade unions and the BA Liasion Council - which is supposed to represent pensioners, they made those members sign a Confidentiality Agreement until the policy had been decided, and then hit already retired staff with it. And how.
BA have admitted to me that they posted FAQ's - and then answered their own questions - in the FAQ's section of the retired staff Intranet site as the ONLY way that they let the news start to flow out; many older pensioners have no access to that site, as they are not computer owners, or maybe not very computer literate, and obviously don't sign on each day. This was a deliberate plot to keep those affected most from knowing until it was too late, eventually some of the changes - but not all - were posted in Touchdown and the bad news is slowly being disseminated.
There are changes which benefit serving staff, and maybe also the very recently retired, so it is difficult to get any movement to oppose the new policy, but basically one now only qualifies for staff travel in retirement for the same length of time after retirement as one worked. Its difficult to argue against that, BUT it is being applied retrospectively....... many of us have been retired now for longer than we worked, e.g. I worked 24 yrs then took Severance at the behest of the then Chairman, and I retired 25 yrs ago so BINGO ! do not pass go, do not collect two hundred pounds, just p*ss off. We are being offered a sop of 5 yrs from 2009, but I personally will still be young enough to enjoy travel - or would have been until the coming of Wxxxx Wxxxx and this stitch up.
Flying Staff, who previously had to retire at 55 also miss out, for by retiring 10 yrs before someone aged 65, and having served 10 yrs. less, they effectively miss out by some 20 yrs over non-flying staff.
I am a member of a Working Group within ABAP ( Ass'n of B.A. Pensioners ) trying to get some alleviation for those of us who are being severely scr*w**d, go to
www.abap.org.uk, read the webmaster's blog and the associated comments, and if you - or anyone - would like to send me an e-mail by way of a PM I'll try to reply with more detail. ( I can only refer to the new policy for retired staff, I have no access to details that affect serving staff )
There is a move afoot to fight back, but I'm not at liberty to make details public just yet, too many moles around ! but rest assured that we will not rest assured. There is worse, I haven't got time or space here.
Touchdown - is the management mouthpiece supposedly keeping in touch with BA pensioners. If you aren't in receipt of a pension you probably aren't on their mailing list. Touchdown has consistently refused to print any letters of dissent from the hundreds of affected and angry, older pensioners.
Those of you still working - you will retire yourselves one day, if they can do this, what else is in store ?
