The facts are, no matter how anyone tries to wriggle out of this, that a BALPA rep who had to resign, flew as a VCC to Boston. There is nothing irrelevant about that.
I'm sorry but I fail to see the relevance? The rep in question was not told, neither asked to resign. He did so as to protect BALPA from exactly the sort of mud slinging that the BASSA union resorts to. It was purely his decision. As he felt that his wish to support the company was at odds with BALPA's wish to remain mutual.
Rather than see this as something totally shameful, as BASSA sees it, I look on it as someone who sacrificed their hard won position to support something he saw as morally important to protect his future.
There is a time and a place for any dispute. As BASSA have sucessfully managed to avoid dragging themselves into the real world with the rest of the company they are paying the price now. The OS dispute was purely over the fact that BALPA offered the company a cost neutral way of combining all pilots onto a common seniority roster. The company refused while they were making large profits.
Do not compare the two when the entire of BA rationalised and agreed cost savings whilst the CC Union protected their ivory tower during a period when the entire aviation industry was facing dreadful uncertainty.
You want facts:
BASSA have never won basic Terms and Conditions changes for their members, they have merely protected what was granted them.
BASSA got it wrong over the imposition being contractual.
BASSA got it wrong over re-imposition of Staff Travel.
BASSA got it wrong over the impact of the strike.
BASSA got it wrong when they stated that public opinion was behind them.
BASSA got it wrong when the publically stated that they ARE BA.