The latest crazy missive form BASSA:
BASSA > Latest News
THE TRUE COLOURS OF BA
Nov 14th, 2009 by admin
True colours.
Bill Francis has a tactic and it’s a different approach from his predecessors; he wants you to love him, not literally as in “lets date and meet each others’ parents” but in the way he believes that you should love him for all the sterling work he is doing for “current crew “ and of course, our customers.
The reality is somewhat different; beneath the superficial veneer that his department has temporarily adopted, the “we’re the good guys and we’re listening ” approach, which now includes your manager ringing you at home for a friendly chat “hey, we’re not telling you how to vote, it’s up to you”
The reality is that a far more hard-line and sinister approach lurks just beneath the surface.
The truth is that they are desperate to tell you exactly how to vote.
All those who have a different opinion are now routinely suppressed. It is strongly rumoured that all the CrewForums are monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by a dedicated team of three people based in Waterside; every comment is passed on to the leadership team and analysed. Further teams of up to six people from a shadowy department known as Asset Protection are dedicated to monitoring “union activity” and individual reps for any information that could be used to damage the union and undermine the ballot.
Seem like the far-fetched stuff of novels? Well it isn’t; it’s happening right now, today in Waterside, in the head quarters of a blue chip company - and it’s quite a daunting prospect.
Why all of this effort to suppress opinion in a ballot in which they are supposedly “not telling you which way to vote”. There is an awful lot at stake for some of these people if they lose and they know it; so they want to win and win by what ever means are necessary; if that involves a few “dirty tricks” along the way, then it’s a price worth paying.
The mask hasn’t has yet slipped completely but it is, nonetheless slipping.
British Airways’ own CrewForum has been “updated” - it does not take much imagination to work out why! They didn’t like what they were reading from crew so they simply shut it down.
Colleagues that posted on it have been suspended and unbelievably are facing charges of gross misconduct, which could lead to their dismissal, for the “crime” of stating an opinion.
Crew who post on any CrewForum under their own name are being routinely stripped from their rosters and called in for a management “chat”.
Crew members who have had private debates or conversations in bars while down route have also found themselves hauled into the office for a grilling over their “attitude” towards the company.
On an almost daily basis, UNITE joint General Secretaries receive threatening letters from British Airways’ legal counsel to try and suppress information that the union wishes to communicate to you, our members.
Yesterday, you were emailed a link to a letter from British Airways new head of industrial relations, who clearly stated their intention to discipline anybody found guilty of supporting their union, even going so far as to threaten criminal charges against them for the heinous crime of “sticker ownership”.
Your reps have once again been threatened with dismissal if they are found giving you information that may affect how you may vote in next week’s ballot.
Every communication we now send you has to be censored and scrutinised by our unions’ Queens Counsel, to avoid giving any possible grounds - no matter how tenuous - to British Airways to try and injunct and suppress our legitimate and legal ballot.
We are unable to tell you everything that is going on and could happen SO PLEASE, READ BETWEEN THE LINES and spread the word that they cannot suppress word of mouth.
Far from giving you the facts to enable you to vote, they are terrified of it and will go to quite frightening lengths to influence your vote.
At the moment you have power and it’s called a vote; it is the one thing that all dictators are frightened of, and we can only urge you to use it wisely.
Yet that power will only last until your vote is cast; once that has happened, in their mind, you will simply revert to being just another overpaid, moaning crew member, that could easily be replaced by somebody cheaper.
The charm offensive will be over and you will see their true colours.
It’s your vote; use it as you choose but make sure you don’t regret it in the years to come.
Poor old lalalady seems a bit confused. Let me help you love. Asset Protection are the department that tries to prevent people stealing from BA, they aren't there to spy on BASSA dear. And the 'crimes' your members committed on the company forum were threatening other people with violence. Did you really think BA would sit back and let you distribute your 'facts' and propaganda to your members without taking action in the run up to a dispute? Sticker ownership isn't a crime. Pasting the stickers all over BA property is.
It would seem to me that far from BA being terrified it's the BASSA junta running scared. BA have derailed the propaganda machine they use to control their members and people are asking to start difficult questions. The threats BASSA use have been deprived of a forum. Crew members themselves are starting to report threatening behaviour downroute in 'private debates and conversations'. Where's the solidarity gone? This isn't how it was supposed to be.