Just a few random thoughts I've had....
Vote No & Don't strike-
Keep existing T&Cs, almost, RISK of Nufleet
Vote Yes & Strike-
Lose staff travel & you WILL be given new contracts ie you are nufleet.
Sd...you say we are considering striking over the fear of imposition. The imposition of the first step of the BA proposal happened in November. If we do not strike, are you seriously suggesting that they will just stop? On the basis that Bill wrote a letter?
Bill's letters do not offer a choice about whether or not New Fleet is created...only a choice as to how. Integrated with existing fleets or separate.
Have you read the proposed changes? The point is to eliminate the "unhealthy tenure" of cabin crew. IFCE say, "There is no business value" in crew staying with the airline.
So, the wish is to create contracts that will not make staying attractive. That is the new fleet contract and why there are no increments to basic pay built in. The other part is to find a way to get crew who ARE on an attractive contract to leave...which is why they need to break the union, because BASSA will not agree to the creation of New Fleet without protection for existing contracts.
I'm under no illusions about who runs BA. The LT runs the company on behalf of the board for the benefit of shareholders. They have decided that experience is of no commercial value and want to restructure so that experience is not rewarded.
I'm not in a position to judge whether their evaluation is correct, does loyalty have any commercial value today? Still, I don't doubt that I have the right to fight their decision to change the basics of the contract they recruited me with.
I'm suprised how many BA pilots seem to celebrate the new ideology of our management. My impression is that the pilot contract is founded upon the concept of rewarding experience. Seniority determines pay, promotion prospects, work patterns, fleet transfers....I would have expected you to feel at least a little disquiet.
I imagine that the only reason this is happening to cabin crew before pilots is because of the huge difference in training costs. As long as it is more cost effective to keep Captains and FO's for their 24 annual increments (than to recruit and train newer cheaper pilots) then I don't doubt the existing system will be kept.
However, as the industry continues to see airlines fail, does that balance begin to shift? Do unemployed pilots become less expensive if there are more of them on the market? Or are you like bankers and have some way of preventing a downturn in your industry creating a downturn for you?