Blame British Airways bosses for bumpy ride
By Fiona Phillips 19/12/2009
With the Christmas strike off thanks to the High Court ruling in favour of BA, it’s clear cabin crew lost the
PR battle.
They’re seen as well-paid, greedy and pampered.
But what has been forgotten is that they’ve already offered £150million in savings through pay cuts and voluntary job losses.
The deal was struck with the proviso that ordinary conditions would be restored when the airline goes back into profit.
BA boss Willie Walsh applied the savings in November, then said the new terms were permanent. So cabin crew have no chance of getting back what they’ve given up. Where’s the incentive in that?
And why did Walsh spend days with his lawyers instead of negotiating with the union?
There are 14,000 cabin crew. They have helped the airline to survive. Management hasn’t.
Walsh has no support from cabin crew and if he thinks strike threats are over thanks to the High Court, he has another think coming.
The more staff are bashed over the head the more likely are strikes next year.
Management have acted appallingly. The union Unite has made mistakes. The real losers are BA’s cabin crew.