British Airways - CC Industrial Relations Mk VI

[Beagle9]

PC767,

The facts published about the Monthly Travel Payment are that it will be paid regardless of the roster flown.
In a question to to Bill Francis about how the payment would be adjusted year to year, where the questioner asked whether it would be increased in the same way variable pay is at the moment, ie according to whatever % pay deal is agreed, from memory, Bill Francis said that it was something he wanted to discuss with the union, but yes that would be a probable option.

The Monthly travel payment, as proposed, is based on TOTAL COLLECTIVE (non-meal) allowances paid to the whole crew community based on 08/09 figures, NOT individual yearly payments to individual crew, so what you say your manager told you sounds extremely unlikely to be accurate.

Quite appart from anything else, do you really think that BA wants the expense of calculating INDIVIDUAL variable pay old v new method for 12,500 crew?

I also strongly suggest you ask BASSA why they will not discuss a formula to transfer work, proposed by the company, that would prevent exactly what you fear will happen.

This would catagorise trips as A (Good - so the NRT/GVAs), B (Middling) and C (Unpopular/not worth a lot) and transfer them in rotational order to New Fleet, ensuring that existing fleets keep the same balance of work as they shrink.

Is it really beyond Unite to negociate that into a robust, binding agreement? No, of course not. That's why it's membership pay them good money, to NEGOCIATE agreements that are unambiguous and fair.
Indeed, I believe some of the Amicus reps were/are keen to do just that, but the BASSA, won't entertain it.

I'd lay good odds, that the majority of crew don't even know such a formula was offered, because UNITE don't want it's membership to know about such ideas. Unite don't want "New Fleet", full stop, because of the reason I mentioned earlier.

PC767, given the seriousness of this whole situation, I suggest it's time that UNITEs members started asking it's union some very searching questions about such issues, and not allow themselves to be fobbed off with the usual "Don't trust BA, WW is out for your T & Cs, he wants to smash the union." The question, "Why won't you even seriously discuss safeguards to prevent the worst you claim would happen with the advent of New Fleet?" might be a start.