LTNman

From the BBC


The wife of former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan has been suspended from her airline cabin crew job, BBC Scotland understands.
Gail Sheridan was suspended by British Airways over the alleged theft of miniature bottles of alcohol.

Mrs Sheridan, who has worked for BA for 23 years, is understood to have been suspended on Friday morning.

BA is believed to have taken action after being contacted by Lothian and Borders Police, who had carried out the search at the Sheridan's home in December.

A legal source told the BBC that Mrs Sheridan denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

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Without commenting directly on this alleged incident does anyone here fly close to the wind when it comes to the perks of the job?

Do airlines turn a blind eye on what really happens in the galley?

Do you always trust your fellow crew members?

If nothing else the story from the BBC should act as a warning to others.

ZFT

No comment on the specific case.

I am always amazed that anyone would risk their job for peanuts.

Make no difference what your occupation is – remove employers property without (written) authority at your very real risk.

I've unfortunately had to dismiss staff for less.

multi_engined

I agree.

The airline pays for the goods so it remains property of the airline until they say otherwise.

Without consent is theft.

LTNman

Never taken home a company pen then?

Herc708

The issue is that the local police spilled the beans to BA - there is likely to be some political motivation for doing so as it is an increasingly bitter and important issue at play up north. Recently the police were told to focus only on violent crime yet they have time to spill the beans to BA about a few bottles of whiskey. Important though for all flight and cabin crew not to have this stuff around your house - empty your favourites into a seperate bottle from now on, throw out the pens, soaps, cleansers, spare timesheets, flight logs, blankets, pillows etc

VS-LHRCSA

Have they not considered that these minatures could be left over from legitimate 'crew purchases'. At BA you are allowed to purchase from the aircraft bars to take home and are issued a receipt. Like anything else, once you get home, are you going to keep your receipt? Do I have to keep every Asda receipt just incase I am reported to the police.

Sounds like muffingate all over again.

Pandora

BA crew are allowed to buy 6 miniatures on a BA-approved crew purchase scheme if they operate a flight to a destination outside of the EU. If you are caught with minatures but no receipt, it does not necessarily mean you stole the miniatures - just that you have no receipt.

In the past anyone who has bought crew purchase has taken any they didn't drink down route home with them. Once home it was not deemed a necessity to keep the receipt. Apparently now it is.

There has apparently been a much higher number of crew searches since both CC and FC unions expressed enough dissatisfaction with BA management that they started talking about strikes. Go figure.

So to answer the question - Crew purchase IS a legitimate perk of the job. Theft ISN't.

ZFT

VS-LHRCSA

You may well be correct, but why give any employer the opportunity?

As I stated earlier in this thread, “I am always amazed that anyone would risk their job for peanuts”

Any and every piece of company equipment I have in my home is covered with some form of paperwork. If I need a pen, it doesn’t (deliberately) get removed from work, I buy my own.

With CC, if you need a bottle of booze/wine, buy it from any outlet. Seems easy eh. Why risk your job?

..and I reiterate, I've no knowledge of this particular case.

The Moo

Must be more to this Police don't just raid houses randomly. I work at BA and as has been stated we have a crew purchase scheme. I have cupboards full of minatures that I have purchased. But I haven't got receipts as some of these years old. You'd be stupid to loose your job over 90p for six small cans or 50p per beer or ( I think ) 50p per minature.

SouBE

Without commenting on this specific case, taking stuff just aint worth it! I would always pay with a c/c then you've always got some proof that you have bought something even if you cant produce the receipt.

Crew sales at BA are so cheap - why would anyone want to steal it? Thats almost as pikey as pax taking off minatures becasue they're fee. Urgh!

But then if you've got a cupboard full of minatures, why would you keep buying more? Tesco's do a good deal on spirits and wine...apparently. And in proper sized bottles. Who can be bothered to keep opening little bottles of mins? Takes up far too much drinking time!

sillymoo

It's theft - pure and simple, although I can't possibly comment on this specific case. It's just not worth risking employment/future employment for something you can buy cheaply in any supermarket.

Avitor

Let's draw a line shall we! Say stealing anything above a quid is theft. Would that be at cost or retail?

An employee at a supermarket was instantly dismissed for pocketing an abandoned 20p piece from her check-out counter.

So that makes your pen and your booze out of bounds. Light fingers are not the in thing folks.

VS-LHRCSA

I think some of you are missing my point.

It is possible that these items were purchased on board as part of the crew purchase scheme. She could have taken them home and added them to a collection. What she does with them is her business. Sometimes they are handy to have around the house. Sometimes a crew member will buy 'crew purchase' but after arriving may decide not to go to the room party. He or she is pefectly entitled to take the unused purchase items home - however they do need be checked in for the inbound flight.

I used to buy the small drink cans because they are great for kids lunches. You can also buy these cans in the supermarket. Does this mean now that I have to save all of my receipt just in case of police raid?

I'm not defending theft, I'm saying that we don't know if this actually was theft.

jimworcs

1. The police were searching her home in relation to an investigation into perjury, for which she has now been charged. When police search someones home, if potential evidence is found of other crimes, this is investigated. In this case, the police advised her employer that there may be property belonging to BA. This is not a case of a vendetta.. unless we are suggesting that the police should just ignore possible evidence of other crimes when they search peoples homes.

2. BA have not accused her of stealing the minatures. They have suspended her pending investigation. She will now have an opportunity to explain how the minatures came into her possession and if they are legitimately obtained, or even if BA cannot prove that they were obtained illegally, she will be reinstated. (That is if she is not in prison for perjury).

IMHO, BA would be far better to not allow the purchase of minatures by staff and mark all bottles. That would remove any ambiguity.

blimey

jimworcs

It certainly looks like a vendetta. Did the plod advise the local supermarket that there may be property belonging to them in her kitchen. VS-LHRCSA is spot on, we all have legitimately obtained stuff in our houses without any documentary evidence to support it.

the bald eagle

Sorry not familiar with the Sheridan case but who did the old bill go around to see in the 1st place, Mr or Mrs Sheridan?
This sounds all to familiar with the bill not finding what they went in for so pick on something else also as pointed out by another ppruner proberly another political issue under lying here. Happy Nicking folks

blimey

SouBE
Which is possibly why she didn't!

Er, because they're 'so cheap'.

Because they're very useful if for taking a half-time snifter with you and you don't want to lug a glass bottle.



blimey

GlueBall

... am I allowed to take my unopened crew-meal fruit & sandwich and my unopened crew-meal bottle of water off the airplane. . .without being a thief?

banewboi

ah now we come to somethin interstin, some airlines say take everythin provided for crew ba have said it needs to be left on board so they can keep the stock levels right (i.e. how much crew need for the flight) ba don't specifically provide crew water, but there is plenty onboard but if crew are found with more than one small bottle on s/h or one large bottle l/h (i think) then it needs to be paid for under the crew purchase scheme i.e. suspension for theft if you don't have a receipt!

as far as i'm concerned if it's what we need for the flight they'll need a lot more gin in the crew cart lol. -1 crew member on an mco anyone? bring on the gin!

VS-LHRCSA

As far as I'm aware, BA crew on WW (not sure about EF) are entitled to 2 small water bottles. If they don't drink them in-flight, then they are allowed to take them off with them. I've been doing it for years without being challenged.

This also applies to uneaten crew food. It is yours to eat, either on or off the aircraft. I would always clear out the crew cart (left over crackers and chocolate bars, etc) on the shuttles from ANU and take them back to the hotel for the crew to share at the room party. Again, it is yours to do what you want with. Passenger food, including left over Raid the Larder doesn't apply and would be constituted as theft.