Originally Posted by
srjumbo747
Just having a chat about this with someone who’s non aviation.
They have asked the question that if the aircraft aren’t flying are the company supposed to keep the crew on full pay and for how long?
JRS has been introduced by the UK government exactly to cover for this crisis, many industries are affected not just travel and aviation.
This is exactly the scope of JRS, to protect jobs during the pandemic and avoid mass redundancies/unpaid leave, standard rules of capitalism must be ignored during JRS as Governments all around the world have stepped in as they would do during a war. BA, instead, decided to restructure in the middle of a pandemic covered by JRS, this is
the immoral & illegal aspect of BA's decision. If BA will be successful and therefore set a precedent we will all end up with a deep and irreversible "McDonaldisation" of the UK job market (e.g. widespread zero hours contracts, no paid sickness, no paid annual leave, no union protection, excessive workload,etc...the list is very long, it will be a pretty awful working life for millions of people, only those at the very top would benefit) with awful consequences on the mental health of future generations which will translate in huge NHS costs paid by all of us, the UK Tax payers. Is this what we really want for our kids? This is now a battle to save the future generations from ruin...and imagine that I am a strong supporter of capitalism... however capitalism has clearly degenerated and COVID19 is the final proof so governments must retake control. If I was the PM I would now push for nationalization of BA with shares also owned by all BA employees unless BA will change direction and seek government assistance to save jobs until the crisis is over. A national carrier is as critical to the UK's survival as the NHS, which is in fact nationalized (thank God!), we cannot allow the NHS to be privatized, we all know even more now (look at the US!) the same concept should apply to the national carrier BA unless Senior Mgt will allow the UK government to step in and be part of it, through financial assistance and control (as majority shareholder). Very simple really.
Just try to imagine what would have happened if the UK NHS was US style during this crisis, which means a privatized NHS. Simply disaster.
Things were much better when airlines were under government control. Higher ticket prices yes, but much better quality of life for all those involved including non-profitable routes being covered and decent working conditions.