L337
PAXboy I am totally befuddled by your post. You do realise these people elect to commute in their own time, and at their own cost?
[snip]
I could not do it. For me that is madness, but for a few, it suits them.
Sorry if I have not made myself clear. I understand that they do this in their own time and of free will. I know that some folks in the UK commute to offices in London with 2.5hr train journey each way in order to maintain a domestic lifestyle and that they are able to work on the train. I, too, could not do that.
The reason I am surprised by it is that: If someone is able to spend all that amount of free time just to get to/from work - then the financial reward must be huge.
That fact then tells them their salary is very good. To persist in trying to protect that is human nature but observation of the world across the 35 years of my adult life tells me that the situation is anomalous and cannot be maintained. Essentially, that level of remuneration for their job description is out of balance with 2010 and the market
will be corrected. If manufacturing is being exported to China and office jobs to India, you must expect that jobs that require a physical presence will be subject to some constraint.
No, it is not nice to be the one having to give up such a nice salary but look around and see what has happened to everyone else. It is rumoured that some CC think: "OK, if BA goes under, a new carrier will emerge and will want good staff. OK, that might be at a lower rate but - until then - I'm going to hold out for the current rate."
If that is the case (rumour!) then they are short sighted. Yes, there will be something to replace BA (at some stage) just as there was to replace Swiss, Sabena and JAL and all the rest but it will NOT have the same range and coverage as there is oversupply of seats in an unprofitable market place! The competition are waiting for BA to fail and will have already prepared several battle plans, may I suggest that taking on disaffected and (formerly) overpaid staff of the failed carrier will not be part of it.
wiggy
The commuting seems to have brought out the green eye in some.
If you are referring to me, then - No. I could not care less what commute people choose to give themselves for the benefits they want. My point is set above, the salary to fund a HKG~LHR commute is out of kilter with the job. It is based on contracts of last century and will not continue. My sympathies to those that lose a benefit that they have come to rely upon.
MissM
If you think this only happens at BA you will be in for a surprise.
[snip]
BA has also occasionally used "commuting" as part of their recruitment drives, especially when they were recruiting for language speakers all over Europe.
No, I don't think I would be surprised, I'm only surprised it's taken this long for folks to realise the imbalance. If BA have used this to their advantage in the past - fair enough. If they now choose to move the goal posts - fair enough.
May I add that, I think the Union had some valid points to make about the declining standards of BA but their choice to make the argument in this way (with the inevitable focus on salaries) has been a poor one. I shall not rehash my oft stated view that BA is in it's terminal decline phase and no action by any party can stop that. The die is cast, you only have to look at many other old companies in this country and the world. Again, not nice but that is how human beings are.
I should state for the record that I am not (nor ever have been) an employee or shareholder of any airline. Nor am I an avid capitalist who thinks that all staff are out to rip you off. My comments are all based on observing the world and the changing patterns of employment from my father's work (1946~1988) and my own and my siblings since 1973 - which have sometimes worked for me and sometimes against me. As BA CC are now finding out.