Flaps33. Sorry I leave you fearful for the future. The fact is I agree with the vast majority of your post. But matters must be handled properly and officially in a company the size of BA and also with a predominantly absent work force in IfCE. I've worked for smaller companies, in smaller groups, and change is easier and quicker to manage. Changes cannot just be adhoc, both the company and the crew need protection. If we pick and choose what we fancy when we fancy the operation will eventually start to unfold.
The few flights that caused consternation during the snow were managed with out dated agreements. I've said before, that a switched on management would have identifed changes to be renegotiated long before now. But I believe that our (IfCE) management are only switched on just before they move off elsewhere.
I'm looking forward to a long future with BA, but I'm not going to pay for it, that defeats the object of working for a living. Neither will I pay for past mistakes or senior management pay rises and bonuses when a pay freeze is being suggested for the rest of us. There will, I'm hopefull, be compromise and an agreement to suit all parties.
There is impetus to make changes in the current economic climate. But I remain suspicious of Focus on Costs. Remember this was started whilst we were making record profits under our current terms and is a long term project. This is not just a move to save the company in the short term. If it were BA would have imposed changes long before now as other airlines/companies have.