PC767
I appreciate that crew have been seeking to get the best deal possible. Unfortunately, it would appear that their negotiators (BASSA) rejected the best offer last year and have seen the options put forward by BA management steadily decline in value. The Way Forward package was probably a better deal than the now Final option. BASSA have been working on the 'Last Minute.com' theory that suggests that if you hang in long enough you will get the deal you want but that in the meantime the offers will fluctuate. The trouble is that in the intervening period their members who walked out are suffering discomfort and in all probability will end up out of pocket even if BASSA get their deal. Moreover, BA is not standing still. The training up of VCC, although contentious, demonstrates the company's ability to minimise the effect of the current and any future cabin crew disruption. The introduction of New Fleet with little or no involvement from Unite starts to address the overall crew costs issues.
The prudent move from both BASSA and their parent union Unite would have been to settle either last year when the best deal was on the table, or to have recommended the Way Forward deal and got crew to back it. They would then have nipped in the bud the volunteer programme and been able to move on to sorting out the introduction of New Fleet. Sadly, they took a different turn and their membership are paying the price.
I wasn't privy to the webchat, but it sounds like Unite are rowing back considerably on the proposed (but now suspended) ballot issues if the sole stumbling block now is the restoration of staff travel. Kind of suggests that even if there is a 'no' vote to accepting the deal, the complaints about use of other staff as cabin crew and the disciplinaries should be dropped from any future ballot, which leaves the staff travel issue and that is inextricably linked to the previous ballot. Any walk out based on the ST issue would not have the 12 week protection and strikers would be liable to summary dismissal.