This is not about CC personalities
I have been following this thread for a while but have only posted a couple of comments before Christmas.
I have found the majority of comments on here very helpful to understand the different views (although it would be nice if there was more of a balance with more pro-strike crew posting) but I also find that sometimes we get into these attacks on people's background, personalities or even values.
The changes that BA is proposing have nothing to do with whether there are doctors, nurses or accountants currently working as CC. Neither are they about CC lying or being the best people in the world.
This is not and should not become a personal attack on the crew community.
I seem to understand that the key question is whether negotiations are taking place or if this is a power struggle between the union and BA.
I was nowhere near the negotiations nor have spoken to any of the BASSA rep (with the exception of one and I would not want to base my judgement on one person).
One thing I do know though: every department has taken a hit... the number of managers has been cut and the accountabilities and workload of those who left has been shared between those who remain. At the end of the day people were given the option of leaving, and those who still work for the company knew that things were going to be somehow different.
It has been a painful process, even if it was needed. People in other departments have been through something similar to what the crew is going through now. There was anger, disappointment, hope and anxiety during the process and now people are still adjusting to having more responsibilities, arguably less career opportunities, working harder because the company needs us to. The unions have been involved and have done what they are supposed to do: ensured that the process was fair to everyone, but they could not stop change.
The reality is that we are all in this together. It is easy to judge by just looking at the surface. Wherever you go in BA people are judging what other departments do (or more often pointing out what they don't do). Few people look further to take in the reality of what they are seeing.
I understand the cc want to fight for what they have. It is their right. I also understand that the remoteness of the job means they probably don't know the extent of what has changed in the rest of the company. But to echo what someone else posted here: it is also the right of everybody else in the company to try and save their job.
The volunteers do not know where the truth lies. And it doesn't matter either. There are always two sides to everything, and only those involved know the details.
The rest can only make choices based on what they value, and in this case the volunteers are valuing the company as the sum of all the individuals that depend on BA. This is not taking a stand against cc and it is sad that a lot of people are turning this into a war.