The Talented Mr. Francis? Sep 20th, 2009 by admin
If you’re already familiar with the 1995 Antony Minghela film - wherein Matt Damon plays a charmingly plausible, yet at the same time, ruthless and deadly character, who unleashes murder and betrayal amongst the “beautiful people” of an ex-pat community on the Italian Riviera - then perhaps comparisons with the current leader of cabin services may initially appear to be somewhat harsh.
Yes, of course Mr. Francis is highly unlikely to commit murder any time soon - unless the death of our community, career prospects and a once great airline counts - yet his modus operandi, backed by a ruthless ambition, is strikingly similar.
The cabin crew community, on the whole, is a warm and welcoming environment in which to work. It is a strange phenomenon but no matter how experience has proven otherwise, each new head of cabin crew is welcomed with open arms and with an almost deferential respect. Crew want to believe in them and hope that each new manager will be the one that recognises the good job that they do, treat them with respect and provide them the tools with which to do it.
Obvious really.
Cabin crew simply want to come to work and be allowed to get on with doing the job that they enjoy doing. They don’t require armies of managers to make this happen. Left alone, most crew will simply get on with doing what they do best; providing the top quality service that our passengers expect to receive from British Airways.
When he first took over the job from Simon Talling-Smith, it was in many ways, a welcome change from the personality fuelled
PR machine that had gone before him. Gone were the life-size photographs and crew TV guest spots, and in was the low key, straight talking “I’m one of the good guys and I’m listening” approach.
Whether circumstance, or instruction from above has dictated otherwise, this has proven to be somewhat baseless. The words may be reassuringly fluffy and inclusive, but they barely sugar coat a very bitter pill. He has tried to win people’s trust but to what end? To protect current crew? Or to deliver what no other head of cabin crew could achieve; low cost cabin crew. Five years from now, will history cast him as hero or villain? You will not have the luxury of hindsight and must make up your own mind - now.
We believe that people’s trust, including ours, has been abused. Substance has been replaced by sound bites; “minimize the impact upon current crew” and “ we will all just work a little bit harder”. The guiding principle of “putting the customer first” all spring easily to mind, yet over time have been proven to be little more than empty catch phrases, designed to lull a community into sleepwalking towards their own demise.
In reality, Mr. Francis’s ethos is somewhat harder to swallow; his style is to portray the relaxed “nice guy” image - and he may very well be exactly that - but the changes that he intends to introduce for you are not, and it would be a far more honest approach if he admitted exactly that. Either he knows this and is simply conning you into believing otherwise to further his own agenda, or he simply doesn’t realise the implications of the changes he intends to introduce.
He plans to try and reduce the crewing levels on all long haul and most short haul flights; it would not be unreasonable to think he would also have spent a great deal of time and thought on how to reduce crews work load accordingly. Far from it. Only this week, he has announced plans to cut the catering for our second club world meal to 70%. This is the most financially important premium cabin.
He also expects to bulk-load all of the components that make up the tray and catering and expects cabin crew to lay up each individual tray. A massive increase in workload with current crewing levels, yet at the same time he intends to remove a Purser from the club world galley on all aircraft types. Why do this? Simple, British Airways no longer will have to pay Gate Gourmet or Alpha to set up each tray; you will be doing it and they will pocket the money saved. Oh yes, it also will not be counted towards cabin crews’ cost saving target - but caterings.
How did he come to this belief? He “trialled” it. Not on an aircraft. Not with real crew in a real working aircraft environment, but in 4 chairs in a classroom at Waterside, carried out by three managers and a grounded Mexican ICC crew member. On the strength of that, he decided it worked just fine and all his so called “principles” remained intact. You can count on some reassuring words of spin to that effect very shortly
Have no doubt, this is the way our management wants to work in the future; they may make the mistakes but you will be picking up the tab. They do not value knowledge or experience; in fact they resent managers with an understanding of cabin crew, those that speak up are quickly sidelined and replaced with those that share this “new vision”.
It may shock you to learn that British Airways entire management team that worked on the current round of proposed changes, have barely ever set foot upon a British Airways aircraft, let alone bothered to understand the role of crew. They don’t understand your job and they don’t want to. They simply believe that you have had it too good for too long - and the reason for that? Your union and your agreements; hence you will no longer see the words “Agreement” or “Negotiate” in their communications, only “principles” and “consultation”. Don’t believe us? Then take a look back at every word they have written since February this year and you will find the proof you need.
This is their vision of the future; they are stealing our airline from under our noses and nobody has noticed. Everything that British Airways stands for, its traditions, its history, its ways of working, is on the verge of being torn down. Families worked for this airline from generation to generation; they won’t in the future. Why? Because it suits the egotistical and selfish agenda of the new regime that runs this airline.
Everything that was done before is worthless and “we know best” is the new mantra of the day.
The jury is out on whether Bill Francis is the puppeteer or the puppet - Tony McCarthy - Director of People - and his assistant, James Farren, now call the shots. They may have made a mess of the Post Office - simply look at the headlines this week to see their legacy - but they are also arrogant enough to continue to think that they always know best. Supported by a chief executive who urges staff to work for free at the same time as accepting a deferred bonus of £30,000.
They demand flexibility and yet are in turn both dogmatic and inflexible.
Their approach is not one of harmony or partnership but of “doing as you’re told” and feeling lucky to have a job. They don’t believe in knowing or understanding the job as their people do, but of simply telling them what to do and when. No worldwide rosters being published or crew cleaning the aircraft in Shannon on the London City -New York are just the beginning, it’s all part of the game plan. We will tell you what to do and when to do it and if you don’t like it? Then leave, we will simply get somebody in on a cheaper contract, who won’t know any better.
As for Bill Francis? Well, he is either a part of that and believes in it wholeheartedly, or he does not have the principles he claims to have by defending his people against it. Either way, the end result is the same.
We are now in the middle of September and after months of uncertainty we are no further ahead; had British Airways accepted the BASSA cost saving proposal when they were first offered, this would have been money in the bank to aid the self titled “fight for survival”.
Instead, as the green shoots of recovery are beginning to be noted in many areas of the economy, it is increasingly being seen as more an opportunistic determination to end union involvement, and with it, reasonable terms and conditions for the people who work hard for this airline, than mere cost cutting.
A Times article on 17th September, (CLICK HERE) also appears to confirms this.
Each week, the news surrounding our company supports this view; mergers with various airlines ebb and flow, new price fixing scandals have come to light (this time with cargo) and rumoured cash offers to buy other airlines all alongside an increasing share price would all appear to support the view that the only true “crisis” our airline faces, is a moral one by the people who purport to lead us.
British Airways will only commit to a single day of meetings; this is planned for Monday September 21st, read into that what you will. Rest assured we have given our final position, it has been rejected, nonetheless it remains our final position. We believe in all of us having the right to a decent future and if that involves having to fight for that right, so be it.
We will hope for the best outcome but will also be prepared for the worst
‘Let the poor drink their milk, while the rich eat their honey, let the bums count their blessings while we count the money”
Matt Johnson - The The 1986