As for where the money is going to come from. If it's not already in the company then it'll have to come from somewhere else around this vast empire, it seems all the other branches are using that resourse when needed. Well now it's needed in the cabin crew department. Take note Mr Branson
Please, can we stop propagating this myth that Branson is able to dig down the back of the sofa and satisfy the crew pay demands with a couple of million stuck to a half-eaten toffee.
This is a business. Virgin Group and SIA are both shareholders. When there is a profit in the company, the board can elect to pay its shareholders a dividend. Unless the company was going down the tubes and the shareholders wanted to prop it up to protect their investment, the money doesn't go back the other way. Money in Branson's or Virgin Group's bank account does not belong to Virgin Atlantic.
And before someone pipes up with the laughable assertion that Virgin have all sorts of shady accounting practises that mean they've been squirrelling away mountains of cash that don't appear on the books; remember that all companies have to be independently audited, and since the days of Enron scandals, there's very little chance a company the size and profile of Virgin would be able to hide money away from the scrutiny of the tax man under recent regimes. Obviously certain members of the cabin crew feel they have more expertise in this area than KPMG, Arthur Andersen or Ernst & Young.
What has become abundantly clear is that the current dispute is simply disorganised. The union don't know what they're supposed have been fighting for and have lacked basic communication skills in dealing with the membership. Brian Boyd looks like a man trying to advance his own career in a newly merged union rather than a level-headed negotiator with the crew's interests at heart. It is time to step back from this mess. Accept the deal (surprisingly) still on the table, and be better prepared for the next round of pay talks. Preferably with a different union.