Ten West - no need to get funny mate - the way that the crew leave system works at BA LHR means that once every 3 years you have a reasonably good chance of geting what you want but for the other 2 years you have almost no chance whatsoever - besides, that was just an example to demonstrate that I think BA crew are worth every penny of the money we earn - As i said before, I am a no voter who will break the picket if needs be - but I am still an intelligent human being who wants to be respected for my work.
As for the comment about reprisal from the crew of you volunteer as crew, can you guarantee that those crew who feel strongly enough to strike (thy exist and it's their choice if they choose to strike) will be immune from the often snidy comments of our colleagues in the flight deck?