Why has nobody replied to MakingaSplash regarding his/her question. It seems to me to be the best post in the whole thread.
What do you want, does anybody know. What did the union ask for on your behalf. I can understand industrial action if the company offered jack s%*t in comparison but if the union asked for a 4.8% increase than whats all the fuss about.
If the problem lies with the added conditions such as extra standby etc, you have to see it from the other point of view. Ok, we can all say that the company is going to try and give the least possible, i'd be worried if they were not, but in order to give you what you want(again does anybody actually know)there must be some sacrifice. Crew down is a major problem and must be sorted out and its not just a case of employing more staff, as somebody said earlier, there are already more crew than required IF there was a normal amount of sickness. ( I must say if i was crew and i knew of people constantly taking time off when they were not actually ill, i would have serious words with them, because at the end of the day it is them that are for one, making you work harder (no crewrest) and two, effectively taking money away from the company that could go in your pocket in one way or another(Airshare, payrise etc...))
Also, why did your union first support the offer made and then change its mind(do they know what you want)? To me they seem totally incapable of what you pay them to do and would seriously think about writing some strong letters to them to tell them to sort thier act out.
Lastly i would say this. Personally i dont think you made the right choice, you would have done better to accept this offer then fight for your conditions at a later date, because now you will recieve the same 2% that everyone got because the impact this will have on the company is negligable. I do think that your are under paid but feel that alot you forget that if you include all those allowances(yes i know they are going down before anyone gripes) then it is NOT THAT BAD. Again i will say you are underpaid and think you should get more but 4.8% is pretty good in my book. Keep getting that every 2 years or so and you'll have all the flight deck swapping jobs, i daresay alot of you could do theirs.
I also know that i'm now going to be told that when it comes down to mortgages etc... its the basic that counts and what you can get with a basic of £11,000 is the best part of bugger all. But am i right in saying that now you can include your allowances for this type of stuff and wasn't that part of th deal (please correct me if i'm wrong, i'm not totally sure about this).
You know what, i'm gonna carry on as i'm on a roll.
If this is all correct, if 4.8% is good enough on the Pay increase, Basic and trip pay etc.... the problem must lie with the conditions that are included with it.
Can some one list these so that i can understand better. What is the problem with standby????
This is the last bit, honestly. I think that this whole affair has aready done so much damage to our business, not publically or monitary but from within and to its own staff and i mean everyone. Unfortunately there are quite a few people especially on this site that dont think before they say or write things and when it come to peoples livelyhood they should. Alot of people are calling these select few people CREW as a whole and the whole crew will suffer as a result.
(Sorry if that does not make any sense, i've been up all night and i'm tired).
And finally as spacecadet put it, the mangement should never have left it to get to this point. If only they had tried to speak to you properly and understand and not throw their handbag out of the pram
and slip in a dig at the end of each letter they write to you, then i feel this could have all been avoided and i could be asleep by now.
Again please correct me if i am wrong regarding anything and probably everything i have said.
Good afternoon, good evening and GOODNIGHT
