Pilots next for Willie Walsh
So an agreement has been reached between BA and Bassa, which i'm sure each side will claim as their own victory! The reality is that BA have achieved the outcome (apart from the chaos) they so desired, and Bassa in my view have been made weaker. Is this good news for other groups/unions within the company?
Well i think not. The pilots are due to vote on the pension, with the Balpa reps having worked hard, giving the impression that this was/is the best deal available. They may be right, and no doubt that if the majority did vote for a strike, then WW would be prepared to take them on. It does seem however that the the majority of pilots will accept the deal proposed to them by Balpa; however i'm sure that if one was to have asked the pilots to accept this deal a few months ago, the majority would have said no!!!
So what has changed between now and a few months ago. Well numerous meeting between the company and balpa, with the company saying this is all that is on the table, analysis by the actuaries, balpa getting expert advise etc. The reality is however that Balpa have been convinced that this is all that can be afforded by the company.
Let us look a year down the line. WW now wants to cut more costs, and make flight operations more efficient. He knows that he's already managed to deal with one of the biggest issues with the pilots (pensions) without even a sniff of a strike (even though when the issue first came about the majority were saying they would vote for a strike). He now decides to attack bidline rules. His basis is cost saving, and how important it is in this difficult environment to be efficient, and that modifying bidline is essential in ensuring that we have the correct number of pilots. I wonder if it'll be the same uproar as with the pensions, but then after meetings between Balpa and the company, there will be some middle ground and realisation that this is the reality. Does anyone really think there be a vote for a strike????