Good luck to the CC.
I accept that no longer being part of BA, I don't know all the details of this one. There's been the usual politicking from both sides, the usual crass emotional references to the cost to individual customers - (well what's a strike FOR for God's sake) - it's to pressurise the management. Of COURSE it will affect whatever sort of customer the business has, and that is the whole point.
It's deeply patronising to continually assert that the CC have been led astray by the union - do we really believe they're all stupid? The pilots saw exactly the same sort of future job threat approaching via Open Skies, strenuously objected, threatened to strike, said they would strike, and were forced to back down.
Maybe the same will happen to the CC, and maybe not.
I do believe it's in everyone's interests to accept cuts in pay when the company is heading down the toilet, but equally, given the ratio of managers and back room staff to front line staff, I think the CC have a point.
More significantly than that, I do know that if I ever shook hands with a BA manager, I would count my fingers afterwards - the devil is in the future, as well as the detail.
Good luck people; I admit to disliking the Walsh style immensely, "A reasonable man gets nowhere in negotiations" - could just be his staff have learned from him.