The first of three updates from CC89 over Christmas.
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24th December 2010 - A Statement
..You can't please ALL of the people ALL of the time.
This week, the possibility of further industrial action came a step closer as you should have already had, or will be receiving soon, a postal ballot for all Unite cabin crew members.
At almost the same time, you may have received Bill Francis's latest attempt to divide and conquer people; a transparent attempt to coerce people to sign up for the last offer on an individual basis. It's a shame that he won't put as much energy into finding a solution. Regrettably, he will not do that because "division" "disillusion" and "desperation" are the corner stones of any "union buster's" handbook.
We believe this controversial "last offer" is already a thing of the past; its time has been and gone. A fresh perspective is needed, some imagination, not stagnation used. However, what is clearly obvious is that a solution does still need to be found and one that will be acceptable to you, one that we feel positive in recommending and that you will feel positive in accepting and yes, that will require hard work, work we are ready and are willing to do, work that Mr Francis, judging by his refusal to even meet, regrettably is not.
If we do not achieve this, then industrial action will certainly happen again and again; it only delays the inevitable and prolongs a situation that presumably everybody wants to see solved.
A settlement that is both fair and reasonable is the only way. Dividing people even further simply isn't. This will be Lenny McCluskey's first challenge and one that we intend to fully support him in reaching a successful conclusion.
We understand how easy it is to become disillusioned with things; our struggle has been going on for a long time - more than a year - we are all human and after all, your reps are only human too. It does require patience, strength, determination, but above all "sticking together".
This can of course sometimes be easier said than done!
It is only natural that there will be a wide range of opinions on what should have happened and when, or what should be done next.
When we were considering putting the last offer to you for ballot and asking for your input, we received emails from members threatening to resign "if we dared to send out such an insulting offer" yet also from members who "couldn't believe that we would dare to NOT ask their opinion in a ballot" - in other words we were damned if we did and damned if we didn't!
However, that is now the past, the challenge now is in what lies ahead.
There is still a willingness from this union to resolve matters but this will not be on our knees, which is ultimately what Bill Francis appears to want. The time available over Christmas should have been spent in finding an offer that could prevent any further disruption to British Airways staff and customers.
Mr Francis should be spending his time finding an offer that all sides are comfortable with.
A future offer must be one that a trade union can, in good faith, put forward with our whole-hearted recommendation, the last one simply wasn't.
If this does not happen, then sooner or later the outcome will be strike action.
Everybody is an expert and everybody would do this or that differently; in the end we must keep it simple and do what we feel is the right thing to do. It is also only right to give you the opportunity to make up your own mind on whether you wish to take industrial action or not.
The bottom line must be what this means for you. We now have a culture of rampant fear within IFCE, not only for the future and what it holds but people are also genuinely frightened when they come to work, scared if they say the wrong thing they will be suspended. All pretence of management honouring our agreements is long gone, mixed fleet is here; it's sink or swim time now for the remaining years of your career.
We urge, not for the first time, British Airways leadership team to come to their senses and to also do the right thing; for them to recognise that bullying and intimidation do not work. We are a strong and determined community and we will never give up this fight until we have won our respect back, no matter how long it takes.
Existing cabin crew are in our own "fight for survival" we have no alternative but to carry on with this struggle until our future is secure, otherwise we simply do not have one.
This is not a time for ill-thought-out sensationalism or opportunist "politicking", but for clear heads and clearer thought. What is important is what can be achieved, what it will mean, and to not lose sight of what is still important; this is NOT just about staff travel, it is ALL about safeguarding your future - you could say it is where it began and where it will end.
When your future security is assured.
At the end of the day, we are a trade union and we make no apologies for that; we are not a branch of management and never will be, nor are we trying to portray ourselves to be what we are not. We are here to try and make your life better, not worse; we have been clear with our message of what will bring peace to the cabin crew community, it's time for British Airways leadership to do the same.