British Airways vs. BASSA (current Airline Staff Only)

[Betty girl]

Dear colleague,

We have today made a new offer to Unite that we genuinely believe can end the dispute between us.

The previous strike action by Unite did not ground our airline but it did cause massive uncertainty for our customers and damage to our reputation across the globe.

It has also been a costly and anxious time for many of you.

With the prospect of more strike action during the summer, it is time for us to come together for our customers and to recapture the pride and excellence that are the foundations of IFCE.

THE NEW OFFER
This new proposal delivers the savings we need in IFCE without compromising on the assurances we have offered to you or the service we offer to our customers.

I know you care deeply about your role in British Airways and your part in making our company an iconic British brand and an airline that customers love to fly.

The new proposal continues to offer you assurances about your future at British Airways, your pay, your conditions, your lifestyle and your career choices. These include:

- No-one will be forced to join Mixed Fleet
- Guaranteed pay rises for two years on top of annual increment pay increases
- A firm commitment that you can keep your current pay and conditions
- An assurance that promotions and part time contracts within your current fleet will be on existing terms and conditions
- An assurance that Heathrow crew can transfer between Worldwide and Euro Fleet on current terms and conditions
- A fair share of routes and access to new aircraft across all fleets
- A commitment to look for opportunities for growth at Gatwick
- A guarantee to protect your variable earnings at Heathrow

WHAT'S NEW FOR YOU
You keep your allowances. In a previous proposal, we had agreed to a request from Unite to put some crew back on board, funded by some changes to your allowances. We have been listening to feedback on this, especially from our Gatwick crew who would have been losing money to fund more Heathrow crew. We’ve also listened to our customers who tell us that the new crew complements are working well. So, we have decided not to make this change: we will not put 184 Heathrow crew back on board and you will not lose any allowances.

You can guarantee your variable pay. There was a mixed reaction to our offer of a fixed monthly travel payment designed to allay your fears about the introduction of Mixed Fleet. To help move things forward we are now proposing a simple top up scheme to give you the peace of mind you have asked for.

From November, when Mixed Fleet begins, we will guarantee a minimum payment for variable earnings for every member of Heathrow cabin crew. If you are Heathrow crew, you will be paid at least the average amount of variable pay earned by your grade and fleet during 2009-10, no matter where you fly, how many standby duties you have, and whether or not your roster has been disrupted. If you earn more than the average, that is yours to keep. If you earn less than the average, we will make up the difference each year.

YOUR FUTURE IN YOUR HANDS
You will know that Unite has announced a ballot for further strike action.

I want to make sure that the union’s actions do not threaten the offer and the assurances we have made, and I believe many of you, especially those of you who are not members of Unite, want that too.

With that in mind, I am going to do two things:

If you are NOT a member of Unite, I am making this offer and the assurances available to you directly. I will be writing to everyone at home next week and if you were not a union member on Friday June 25 you can sign to accept it.

There are parts of the offer that we need Unite to agree collectively, such as a new disruption agreement, opportunities at Gatwick, and changes to some of our corporate policies so these are not included in the offer I will send you. But if Unite agree, you will be entitled to these elements of the offer also.

If you ARE a union member, I have made the same offer to your trade union to accept collectively on your behalf. If you would like them to accept it, please speak with your union representative before the next ballot opens.

You can see the collective offer to Unite and the individual offer for non-union members on the IFCE intranet site.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW
I hope you will see that we’re offering Unite a chance to put this dispute behind us and end the uncertainty for our customers, and that we’re keeping our promises to you.

If you have any questions about what it means for you, please speak with your crew team manager who will be happy to answer any queries you may have.

Thank you.

Bill Francis