Well, well, well. I thought that one elected reps on the basis that they were intelligent folk who one believed would be best able to represent the views of members t management. Yet here we have a bunch who clearly have taken off their thinking heads and replaced them with manky manglewurzels. This hapless bunch would lead the BASSA membership directly into a strike that would see them all sacked.
How on earth can they be so pig headed foolish ? Almost every single item in the list of demands is an exact copy of the rationale behind the previous dispute or has during the course of it been cited as a reason for its continuation.
(i) return to the collectively agreed crewing levels (BA has spent far more on this dispute than removing crew was ever going to save);
Let me get this clear. a high court and then an appeal court have both said that BA acted fairly. But BASSA want to turn the clock back.
BA made a profit because it had started to make inroads on its cost base, part of which is attributable to lower cabin crew manning levels, but BASSA want the clock turned back
Does BASSA also want these selfsame crewing levels imposed on LGW flights ? Sorry, I can't hear that response. It was a deafening silence
(ii) acknowledgement that collective agreements will not be broken by BA and will only be varied by further negotiation and collective agreement;
Um... so you not only want the clock turned back but you also want those wicked management types at BA to go stand in the naughty corner until they are truly sorry and promise never to do it again...yeah right...
(iii) reinstatement of all lost staff travel benefits to strikers (including accrued seniority/status tickets etc);
Gadzooks, wasn't this what was in the current offer ?? So why did you reject it ???
iv) no victimisation (including full reinstatement of all those dismissed, and restoration to their former positions of all those otherwise penalised in this dispute – (the foregoing are now identified in the current offer documentation as “relevant employees” and “processed employees”);
Duncan wants his job back and the right to rule - even though he and the other staff sacked were done for gross misconduct. BA should say sorry and of course let them back. Bullying and intimidation is fine if you are a union rep oh and the normal rules don't apply to them - they are 'special'.
(v) in view of how the dispute came about and how negotiations since have been conducted, a recognition that the AMICUS/BASSA are the elected representatives of the cabin crew with whom all future negotiations will be conducted (save where existing collective agreements or AMICUS/BASSA otherwise expressly agree in advance).
This one really takes the biscuit. So the two branches are saying that BA should not deal with Unite and that Unite should have no further say in any negotiations regardng cabin crew. The sheer arrogance is breathtaking. I can see Unite turning round and saying 'Yeah baby, you're on you're own now' Unite would love to dispense with BASSA and CC89. This bunch of half baked fools have cost them millions over the past year- far more than they have contributed in membership dues. Unite have been the people who have steered them clear of making complete asses of themselves and walking into huge litigation costs. It has saved the collective bacon of the members by ensuring that at least a legitimate strike ballot was held. Without Unite, the strikers could well have been sacked on the spot. Meanwhile BA would probably dearly love to only have to deal with CC89 and BASSA. Within 6 months both branches would be bankrupt because of their stupidity.
I seriously wish all BASSA members the best of luck. With this witless, brainless ship of fools leading them they have at last earned my sympathy. Never in the field of human endeavour have so many been led so abysmally by so few. This really is the point at which the BASSA membership need to rid themselves of the current bunch and get some decent representation. There are only two sane alternatives, to vote against strike action or to hand in one's cards and would the last person please turn the lights out. BASSA and CC89 are now an irrelevance.