Forget about how the situation has been handled.Thats in the past.But what is clear is that BA want to make changes to my contract without me having any say in it.And they want to do the same to you,and the rest of IFCE as well !! We cannot let this happen.This is were we have to make our stand ! I can't emphasise this enough.
This is why I'll be using my right to protest at this imposition and voting for industrial action in the ballot ! And I say that with a heavy heart !
Let's Get Wasted - I fully agree with you - imposition is not nice, and moreover, it is unnecessary. HOWEVER where we differ is I blame the imposition on BASSA and you blame it on BA. Did BA impose new terms in January? No. Feb? No. Ditto right up until Nov 2009. Did BA try and negotiate? Yes - whether you like the slideshows or not is irrelevant, it is common practise in negotiations for both sides to present their side of the story. BASSA should have listened.
So we are both angry about imposition. But I honestly believe that BA had no choice. They tried to negotiate. They offered several different proposals. At one point, New Fleet was even off the table! But BASSA refused to budge.
If BA simply wanted to "make changes to our contracts" they could have done so. They could have issued the 90 day consulation way back when and we would have been working like that now. They didn't. They have tried, but with money haemorraghing away, the impasse simply couldn't continue.
The problem now is that if we do not resolve things WITHOUT INDUSTRIAL ACTION, we will be worse off. This situation is not going to go away, or get better. Our flight yesterday had a ratio of 1 crew member to every 6 passengers. That is unsustainable. Who's going to pay for all these mounting court costs, passengers booking with other carriers incase we strike, etc. Us that's who. If you think this imposition is bad, wait and see what could be around the corner. So I'm afraid you're making a stand about the wrong thing. What do you think will happen? BA will back down? They can't. Loads, yields and profits are at an all time low. There is no money in the pot to back down.
There is an alternative. We can negotiate. We can negotiate a reasonable Monthly Payment, to counter the effects of New Fleet. One crew member off a plane, is not life-threatening. It does not impact on us in any major way, especially with the current booking loads. No-one I speak to is bothered about one crew off.
If this was truly about our T&Cs, then UNITE would be banging BA's door down to negotiate on that payment, to try and get the best possible deal for us. They are not. Why not? Because it is a power struggle. BASSA want to dictate. They want to dictate when to shut down First class due to crew shortage. They want to dictate when to cancel flights due to snow, fog, rain etc. They want to dictate that their most senior members do not operate on a trolley. They want to dictate....
Well that dictatorship is coming to an end. A lot of people realise it, and many don't even want it anymore. How many people do you speak to that say BASSA should have negotiated? Everyone. Because they didn't, we now have imposition. And if they continue down this destructive path, it can only get worse.
SAVE our Jobs. VOTE NO to Industrial Action and Resign from the Union.
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