Betty Girl has a point when she says it's not just the strikers that feel unappreciated. It's difficult to explain and I can't talk salary as I am not LHR based so don't know what the salaries are up there. But there is no human touch at BA. I know it's a huge company and I know that they are in business to make money for the shareholders but everything is very rigid, not just on BASSA's side of things.
The best way I can explain is from my past and current experiences. In my last company, also a very large airline, we all pitched in when things went wrong. Within legal limits, we'd help out doing the flights that were outside of our agreements to get people home and planes to where they needed to be. But we also knew that when we needed help, the company would do their best, whether it be altering our rosters or offering other possible solutions. If they couldn't help, we knew it was because there was nothing they could do, not because they didn't try. It was a two way street and benefited both parties!
But it's not like that at BA. It's not just BASSA that are rigid when it comes to agreements. We are expected to help out in times of disruption and I always did. I brought my previous experiences with me. Over the years, during the start up of Single Fleet at LGW/snow problems/strikes/volcanic ash etc I agreed to work random rosters, fill in where needed, work outside of my agreements. For years, I've "helped out". But when I needed help with a huge upheaval recently, I was refused because I couldn't provide written proof of why I needed the help within the BA deadline. "Rules is rules", I was told. And when I attempted to very politely query that with Mr Francis, I was given extremely short shrift. I now find myself very reluctant to help out in times of trouble. I come in, do the job to the best of my ability and go home. No more, no less. As the man in scheduling said, rules is rules!
As someone who has come into BA from another airline, I find myself wondering if British Airways themselves have bred the culture of complete inflexibility that now exists. I suppose it's a case of what came first. Inflexibility from the crew or inflexibility from the company? The chicken or the egg?