TrollyTom, welcome to the party, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to pick you up on a few points as some of the ground has been covered before.
I am all for people having their own opinion however think that the insulting comments from some people who are more than likely just here to wind others up and would urge others to ignore their juvenile playground style comments.
After making a statement like that, it's best not to follow it with opinions which are likely to wind others up. A robust debate necessitates strong opinions from both sides, and if you can't take it, don't dish it.
Yes we all knew the starting salary when we joined and I am not comparing us to BA or anyone else but the pay we earn for the job we do is NOT acceptable and if going on strike helps demonstrate this then so be it.
If you joined 4 years ago, and were happy to accept the salary then, I am confused why you would want any more than inflationary increases from that point four years ago? I know this is a controversial point, but whilst I can understand the motives of really long-term crew for whom their pay hasn't tracked inflation over many years, for relative newbies to the airline, I struggle to understand why you're so militant when you walked into the job fully aware of the deal. Trying to bring the company down because you decide after a few years that the management simply have to improve your pay way beyond inflation isn't playing fair.
It need not have got to this stage had virgin played fair and offered realistic offer initially then we would not be faced with this predicament now.
Poppycock. Virgin not only believed they had reached agreement with the union, they also went beyond the union demands in the last offer. This is mostly the union's faulty for not understanding the expectations of its own membership. Some of the blame must also go to the person behind WDMM, who stirred up crew opinion behind the scenes based on false logic, woolly facts and a complete misunderstanding of the financial operation. WDMM undermined any good intentions of both the union and management.
The letter I received from RB this morning saying we need to focus on customers now is not the right angle. You look after us £ T & C and we will look after the punters therefore generating revenue and profit for you its a simple formula but get it right and you would not be in this mess.
Don't you think it's rather strange then, with your business acumen, that you are only cabin crew and Richard Branson is the chairman of about 300+ successful businesses? There are far too many people who claim to have the magic solution to running the business, but very little of it is based on practical experience.
Why should FSM,s be on lower pay than SEP instructors or other managers on the ground.?
>sigh<
Simple economics. More people want the FSM job (because they get to fly) than the SEP instructors job. I dare say you can also get paid more wiping old people's bottoms in a care home, but it's not a particularly attractive job, and there's not often a queue around the job centre for those. I know this doesn't sound particularly fair, but that's the cold reality of business. Pay as little as you can get away with; and as long as there's a high number of job applicants, you can get away with remarkably little.
This is just talking about fsm - i am cabin crew and why should i not be able to go and get a mortgage We all deserve better money for the work that we do.
The job is what it is, and has the salary attached. No one has the right to receive any more than the minimum wage for the job they do - anything more is just the market forces at work to attract the right number of qualified people to the positions available. Hey, I want a new car, but the reality of the situation is my old one will have to make do until it falls apart; and then, much as always, I'll buy another second hand one. I don't blame Virgin for that.
I gotta go out for NYE lunch now so Happy New Year all and hope to write soon
I shall be spending NYE indoors - as usual - because price gouging on this one night of the year puts public enjoyment of the event beyond the price I'm willing to pay. Hope you all have a Happy New Year.