BA Industrial Action?
Was sent this email yesterday. I am no authority on this but it made interesting reading.
>Please read and pass onto all crew.
> >>
> >>All taken from the bassa website.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>just in from spending time in the BASSA stable. What Iīm about to
> >>post is from the horses mouth......
> >>
> >>1) As of Feb 1st the upperdeck Psr is gone. The ultimate goal is
> >>have a 2 more gone by the end of 2007 leaving 1 CSD & 1 Psr on
> >>longhaul aircraft. The CSD role is also being looked at. Do we need
> >>one??
> >>
> >>2) CC89 reps are totally behind the BASSA action they are being
> >>held back by AMICUS who insist they must go to the enth degree to
> >>find a solution.
> >>
> >>3) SFG been told BA can no longer afford downtown hotels. Airport
> >>hotels are being sort.
> >>
> >>4) BALPA are not supporting us on our T&Cīs issues. Pensions are
> >>our common denominator.
> >>
> >>5) Car stickers and other items will available shortly at BASSAīs
> >>expense. (Thank you Chief Wigwam for the idea).
> >>
> >>6) No big figures for severance. Statutory Minimum.
> >>
> >>7) T5 report time 1hr 10 before dept. Arrival 30mins.
> >>This will take SFO, LAX & NRT (new routing) out of LR and make them
> >>night stops.
> >>
> >>Quote from Mark Hassel: "Unions are history. Those were the old
> >>days. Negotiation is good but if you donīt agree will walk right
> >>through you. This will happen before our move to T5"
> >>
> >>I donīt know about you but that quote has got my blood boiling, let
> >>alone the issues weīre going to be balloted on.
> >>
> >>As a union we need 80% (office figure not mine) return to stop the
> >>BA train from steamrolling our T&CīS. Itīs already started!!!
> >>
> >>If thereīs still anyone out there who thinks it wonīt affect them.
> >>Think on, Heathrow One Fleet is around the corner. VOTE YES for
> >>industrial action and protect our futures.
> >>
> >> This thread is for those people who have been asked to visit
> >>the BASSA website by colleagues so as to find out about the
> >>upcoming strike.
> >>
> >>Whilst I am by no means an authority on whats happening, this is
> >>what I understand about the current situation.
> >>
> >>1. HOW HAS IT COME TO THIS??
> >>
> >>BA and BASSA meet regularly, BA tell BASSA its proposals and plans.
> >>Normally what happens is they both negotiate, BA say what they want
> >>us to do and BASSA act on our behalf and agreements are made. One
> >>of the most recent examples of this is the Standby block, the
> >>starting hours, the hotel accomodation the night before an 0700
> >>start blah blah blah. Previous examples of this include Box
> >>Payments, MBT's, Back to Backs etc. These are things that BASSA
> >>have negotiated on our behlaf.
> >>
> >>The last time BA and BASSA met, BA outlined plans of what they
> >>wanted to do next, preparing us for T5. After this meeting BASSA
> >>had one of the quarterly meetings with its members and took a vote.
> >>The vote was if BA try and impose such and such, are we prepared to
> >>vote for industrial action?? There was a unanmous YES. So, BA and
> >>BASSA met again and tried to iron out the problems. BA would not
> >>budge and, acting in our interests BASSA did the same. Talks broke
> >>down and now we are being sent the voting slip to support
> >>industrial action.
> >>
> >>2. WHAT BA WANT US TO DO
> >>
> >>Reading this forum you can get some idea of what BA are asking for,
> >>some of it is speculation we will find out EXACTLY what it is in
> >>due course. Remember this, there will always be a bigger picture
> >>behind what they are seeking to do now. There will be more and more
> >>until they have got us eventually on
> >>
> >>1. Hourly/Daily rate to replace allowances, boxes and overtime,
> >>CAT, long day
> >>2. Lower standard hotels
> >>3. 3 crew on Airbus ( same level as current 737 at LGW )
> >>4. 1 CSD, 1 Purser on longhaul
> >>5. LA/San Francisco nightstops
> >>6. 5 sector days
> >>7. Removal of MBT's replaced with OFF days not fixed
> >>8. Single Fleet Heathrow
> >>
> >>
> >>These are things that our competetors do right now, Virgin,
> >>Monarch, easyJet. They all work to something called SCHEME. This is
> >>a set of rules governed by the CAA, some of you may be familiar
> >>with this already. FORTUNATELY due to BASSA and some serious
> >>negatiating, our agreements are different and we dont work to
> >>SCHEME, we have our Worldwide Agreement and a Eurofleet agreement.
> >>Do you ever wonder why crew who have worked at Virgin, easyJet, My
> >>Travel and every other airline in the UK all want to come to work
> >>for BA???Generally its because our conditions are better than those
> >>in place at those airlines.
> >>
> >>3 WHAT VOTING FOR A STRIKE MEANS
> >>
> >>Voting for a strike could be the very thing that stops a strike
> >>happening. Once BASSA announce the results of the vote, they inform
> >>BA. If the vote is a resounding YES, then BA may return to the
> >>table to negotiate further and reach an agreement. It sends a very
> >>clear message to the management at BA that we are not happy with
> >>what they are doing now, breaking agreements such as the EG300,
> >>taking away the breakfast allowance at LGW, the 900 hours carry on
> >>and all the rest of it. It also and more importantly tells BA that
> >>we are not just going to lay down and accept the things that they
> >>want us to do. It means that we want to keep what we have already
> >>got, with regards to pay, time off, crewing levels etc.
> >>
> >>The most important thing that voting for a strike means is that we
> >>are saying to BA, you have to go through BASSA first if you want to
> >>change anything. The reps act on our behalf, BA can negotiate with
> >>each one of us individually so they go through BASSA. If we dont
> >>support BASSA we are saying to BA, its OK, do what you like, change
> >>this, change that we will accept it, its fine, BASSA doesnt mean
> >>anything to us, forget about them, just do it.
> >>
> >>BA are not exactly skint, they are paying millions in bonuses left
> >>right and centre to managers who achieve cost savings. That means,
> >>by taking money off of us and making us work more, a manager at
> >>Waterside gets a huge bonus. Does that sound fair to you??? BASSA
> >>have agreed to many many things over the years to help BA out of
> >>the mierda, crew off a jumbo after September 11th, 3 licenses on
> >>longhaul without blinking, back to backs. We have always played
> >>fair with BA and helped out where we could because we all care
> >>about our jobs. Now theres no sign of any major problems at BA and
> >>they want to take everything away from us that made us want to work
> >>for BA in the first place.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>As I said earlier, this post is for those who want more information
> >>about why we are being asked to support a strike. I repeat, I am
> >>NOT an authority on whats going on and I have not been privy to
> >>things that BA have discussed at meetings with BASSA, I have been
> >>around just about long enough to see the way BA operate. Everyone
> >>can read about what BA management have said about us over the years
> >>including "monkeys can do that job" "We want a confrontation with
> >>cabin crew" "loyalty is not valued" the list is endless.
> >>
> >>If you are alarmed at this or you had no idea things were this bad
> >>between BA and BASSA, ask your colleagues on your next trip, if you
> >>enjoy what your job offers right now and want to keep it, you now
> >>have the chance to say to BA, I want to keep things the way they
> >>are now. Tell your friends about this, they may know something that
> >>you dont.
> >>
> >>I am so greatful to those cabin crew who were at BA before me,
> >>because of them I enjoy the things my job brings me now. Anyone who
> >>started in 97 or afterwards, we had to go through all of this
> >>before you started, we fought and did our best. We arent going to
> >>be around in years to come and now its your turn to make sure this
> >>union works. When the old timers have all gone, hopefully you will
> >>be heading the ship of BASSA, you will no doubt have your own
> >>battles with BA so remember this experience, it could be you
> >>writing the same post as I am in 8-10 years time.
> >>
> >>Going on strike one of the worst things you have to do in a job but
> >>hopefully by voting for one we can avert it. If it all turns to
> >>caca and we do have to do it, just remember why you are doing it