Dear winstonsmith,,
Funny you should ask that. Did ask on sector last night to here....do not want to upset the Mods by printing their comments, but suffice to say, the final comments from the Captain were he hoped "we (the CC) really give WW a stuffing" - and not the Xmas type.
CFC, Thanks for engaging in the debate.
I've no doubt that your conversation did occur as you described, but I'm afraid it would have been very much unrepresentative of the view from in front of the locked door.
The issue has arisen on 99% of the flights I have done over the last 11 months and I think without exception the opinion of Bassa's negotiating was totally negative, and the opinion of WW was 99% positive. The language used by Bassa, the omission of reference to facts in the comms, the switch from ' we will not negotiate on any cuts' to 'we are the only ones willing to negotiate' (twice), the temporary nature of the recession, the misrepresentation of the pilots' deal, all served to demonstrate an unsophisticated stonewalling approach to the need for change.
Such a stance doesn't lend itself to support from other departments, the public, nor the shareholders (the owners of our company).
In fact the arguments presented to the city convinced the analysts that Unite's aim in the dispute was to retain control over day to day operational decisions and that BA were trying to bring operational control back to management. (As in every other company in the UK, bar none)
So CFC, you may have one supporter in Flt Ops, but very few others elsewhere.
Perhaps you could increase that support by explaining what sequence of events you hope will follow the first day of IA, and how that will result in a successful conclusion for your fellow union members.
If that involves compromise on both sides, could you describe the areas you would be willing to provide savings in?
Thanks