As our Union Leaders quite rightly said last week - lets lift these forced impositions and lets us get around the table and agree a settlement - BA and Willie Walsh said - NO
Just to put this into perspective Henky - which I don't think the point has been made on here.
We have agreements with BA which governs the number of Cabin Crew required on each flight. This number is determined by the delivery of the product and the workload required by each crew member to deliver that product - be it pre take off, after take off etc etc. This figure or number of Cabin Crew has always been determined by product trials ie BA want to try a new service or product - we all agree that it takes X number of crew to deliver that product in the style and the way that BA want and the delivery is trialled and a crewing complement is agreed.
Now if ever an aircraft had to leave LHR without the required number of crew on board - there is an AGREEMENT - on crewing levels which says - if you leave LHR a crew member down - you are entitled (all the crew ) to a payment of X in order to compensate delivering the agreed service whilst being a crew member down.
ie the product will still be delivered but you will have to work harder - and to do that we will pay you X. That is a written agreement.
Now from last month BA reduced the crewing levels without agreement and without paying the AGREED sum to their crew members - if BA then ose the court case in February all Cabin Crew will receive backdated pay of circa £200 per crew member, per flight operated since 16th November.
This is why it is ludicrous that they say it is non-contractual - there is a written agreement in place which specifies the number of crew levels ex-LHR and the financial remedy if those crew levels are not met - this management are on a suicide mission with their workforce.
Just as our Flight Crew colleagues have a very lucrative Forced Draft payment when they are made to work - so do the Cabin Crew when they have to work one down - what would our Flight Deck colleagues say if BA called them up and said " we are force drafting you - oh and there is no payment any longer for it!"
Yeah - I thought so
