With Regards to 4.8% offer staying on the table, look at it from the other side if it was pulled would more or less people vote to strike - I believe more, so wouldn't be smart of the company to pull the offer.
I see lots of other departments getting involved calling us selfish, I see the one that isn't calling us selfish is the flight crew, who are the other unionised department who have been down this road (though times were different and the situation different).
Selfish - why because we are tying to improve our working conditions - the negotiations have failed so the remaining tool is now being used as the flight crew did a few years back. I suppose it is selfish in that it's
my bills,
my mortgage and
my years of seniority that I shouldn't have to give up to go and work for the likes of BA to get a fair package.
All the sympathy in the world for other departments wont pay my bills.
Other departments in virgin saying we are greedy because we had 2x what they got. Rest assured the flight crew will get min RPI, so does that make them selfish too, were they selfish to nearly strike a few years ago ? no they were proactive and did something about their T&C's so does that not perhaps show that a unionised workforce works. You can throw as much blame as you like at the cabin crew for striking, could I suggest that a portion of that blame go in the managements direction also who have failed to further negotiate, we are still willing to go to the table.
As for the numbers in the vote, doesn't matter if only 10 people returned it, that's democracy. I suggest those not happy at work in a non union work force join one to stop yourselves being exploited.
