Originally Posted by
Ghostflyer
From what I have read, it seems that rather than striking about serious quantifiable issues, the CC have taken the decision to strike mainly on the 'respect' issue. The Managmement have not been very amenable; we'll show them!
Yep, I agree with you. So going on strike will bring them more respect? What will end the strike? BASSA have pressed the nuclear button, contrast this to CC89/Amicus who have the same management.
Jack Dromey, T&G deputy general-secretary, said: "Our members are fed up with being bullied into coming into work when sick and with the divisions caused by poverty-level new entrant pay scales.
Dromey really shot himself in the foot with this comment and WW saw through it straight away. The one thing BASSA are
not asking for is
more pay for new entrants. They are asking for more increments at the top of the scales, not the bottom.
As you should know by now, I like to deal in FACTS, not opinion based on rhetoric or hearsay. According to the latest available data from the CAA (2005) who should be independant, personnel costs for pilots withing BA are 23% higher than the next highest UK operator (First Choice). With cabin crew, the figure is 60% higher than the next highest (Easyjet). Now before everybody shoots from the hip, these figures include all personnel costs (particularly pensions which in BA are particularly high because of the deficit) but as you can see the cabin crew are still the best paid in the UK by a large margin. I have no problem with them protecting what they have got but BASSAs 12 items will add £37m per year (BA's figures I know, so large pinch of salt) to the IFS budget and into the pockets of CC. The rest of BA is reducing budgets, not increasing them which is why BA is digging in so firmly.
Go back and have a look at BASSA's latest newsletter (post 515) and my attempt to de-spin it on post 529.
Finally I am now off on a long trip with limited internet opportunities so no more posts. I hope this madness is sorted out by my return, although I doubt it.