Here I go on again on my soapbox!
I do think that alot of the articles are overexaggerated with our pay etc. I CAN believe the average gross pay is around 29K easily - including allowances. Where the articles misleads though is that it implies we earn 29K PLUS 10K in allowances - all for 17 hours a week work. Laughable especially if you are a Eurofleet or Gatwick fleet. I would agree we are paid more than other airlines and work less especially on shorthaul - but not that less!!!
I would say however that everyone does live within their means... so whether we are overpaid or not you cannot just take peoples pay just like that. Even if they are on well over the odds. What is acceptable though is paying FUTURE crew on market rate plus 10% like BA proposed.... SO LONG as they ensure current crew are protected.... I fully understand why fellow crew are worried about starvation of work, being forced to New Fleet blah blah, but Bill has said he's willing to talk to introduce deals to protect this - like the Monthly Travel Payment etc... yes it would need to be negotiated to be decent but hey, this is what we pay our union for no? Again for those of us who want to go for promotion, the union are shouting no more promotions unless you go to New Fleet, well why not negotiate a deal that will mean current crew going for promotion on New Fleet will have decent T&Cs even if they are not the same as now.
I'm digressing now but just I can think of loads that could be put on the table.... how about asking members for ideas.... they would never do that though, for the reasons Hiflyer stated earlier....
EDITED TO ADD: I agree the company is not proposing a paycut which I think is more than fair and am totally AGAINST the strike, and I do think that changes are NEEDED... BA's proposals are fair.
Last edited by SlideBustle; 16th Dec 2009 at 23:39.