I have been lurking on this thread for a while and have not commented as the BA strike is of little consquence to me.
Having read the latest 'window blindgate' development, I do wonder if some posters are being a little harsh, although the BASSA message does not really read very well in style.
1) If employees allow management to add extra tasks to the day, minutes can sometimes add up into hours over the working week - to impose this on an ad hoc basis without some form of consultation does not seem fair to me - if it is good practice, it should be codified formally
2) Can an aircraft captain instruct cabin crew to perform a task that is not in their industrial agreement, when the aircraft is at the gate and the pax have got off?
Sadly, in the unpleasant environment of an industrial dispute sensible cooperation is not going to be as easy to find as otherwise.
So whilst BASSA may have made some questionable moves in the past, I do have some sympathy for this message, although the safety angle is pretty pathetic.
I see this as being somewhat different from the 'hot towel' issue, as that was a formal BA initiative.