So far I've avoided commenting on the BA cabin crew strike. But over on the CC strike thread one of the BASSA supporters MissM posted this regarding the current BA "offer" to UNITE:
I will never accept the proposal as it is today as there are no guarantees regarding my career.
It's hard to know where to start in answering someone who is so utterly divorced from reality as this, but I'll have a go.
Firstly, you would need to consult a much higher power than even the BA CEO to obtain any
guarantees about your career. In 20 years in my industry I've been made redundant once, taken voluntary redundancy once, had one employer taken over and spent some time unemployed. And that is by no means unusual amongst my peers. This is the nature of business in 2010.
Even in the aviation industry, you should ask employees of Pan Am or Sabena or Swiss or any number of other "won't ever fail" airlines over the years about "guarantees" about their career.
Secondly, what do you think it is that pays for your career ? Could it be something to do with those passengers who (or whose employers) buy tickets to fly on your airline ?
Over the last 5 years my company and its clients have spent nearly £60000 for me to travel on British Airways flights. Through all the spin it's hard to know how many cabin crew annual salaries this equates to but from the figures I've seen I'm guessing maybe one cabin service director, or a couple of more junior crew.
Over the last few months my travel with BA has dwindled to almost none due to:
- avoiding BA because of threatened and actual industrial action
- avoiding BA because of sour-faced cabin service on some previous flights (my return from honeymoon being the particular lowlight last year
)
- flying less because of the economic downturn
- my company and its clients no longer recommend BA
All of which means £60000 more won't be coming BA's way from my company and clients' direction over the next five years.
Now it's clear that my situation is very common (indeed Virgin are reporting huge growth in premium customers joining their FF club in recent months).
So.... striking BA cabin crew: where is your future salary going to come from ?
Your choices are:
- modest cuts in how much BA spends on its cabin crew in line with the cuts the rest of the company have already accepted
AND
- improving your service to customers so that all of those who are already choosing your competitors return to BA
OR
- the company goes bust.
It's your call.
13Alpha