Therein lies the problem with modern unions - unions were conceived to prevent mill owners from taking advantage or workers
- Living in company housing at exorbitant rates
- Provided with company "currency" to spend at company-owned shops
- Working people 18 hours a day, 7 days a week with no holiday in dangerous conditions
Unions achieved a stop to these abuses, and rightly do, but today's world revolves around a legal system that has these protections inbuild.
So what is the role for a union?
1) A legitimate representative of employees in safety concerns
2) A common bargaining tool to the extent that the company remains competitive (to prevent Ryanair-style abuses such as employees paying for uniform, training, relocation instead of the company)
3) A tool to communicate with employees.
BASSA is, in many people's opinion, failing to do 1 and 3 at all, and taking 2 to the extreme.
In the 1970s, there were legitimate crew concerns on peculiar working hours and rostering that the crew union sorted - unfortunately, as the world moved on, limits to hours that were particularly low and wages that were competitive in their day, remained.
So a combination of atrocious management and belligerent relations leaves BA where it is today - in a pickle, with Singaporian / Cathay crew providing far better service at lower cost.
That is not competitive for the airline's future and is a mockery of putting the customer first.
Debate...