I can see both sides of the argument and I suspect paying the bonus to strikers was the least worst option.
Everything BA has done in the past (impose changes, remove staff travel, calculate deduction of pay for strikers) has been done with a clear prior warning (though, sadly, many thought BA was bluffing).
If the bonus was withdrawn without warning from strikers, all that will do is rile some strikers even more and giving BASSA something else to bleat about.
KW's e-mail and the payment of the bonus (with a warning that this year's won't be paid to any strikers this year) is a test for BASSA. It's time they took the lead from BA and made a gesture towards settlement. If they carry on with the puerile personal attacks on management (see the post of 12 February below) then BA may as well carry on the running the business ignoring the thorn in its side and allow BASSA to continue its slow self-destruction.
"Arise" Sir William of Waterside
It's interesting to note that in recent communication, our erstwhile and revered leader has gone from the more formal, Bill Francis, head of IFCE to just simple "Bill"; whether we should read anything into this is unclear.
So what has happened to inspire this exercise in moniker shortening? Is he preparing himself in readiness to join "Sir" Martin in the next New Years Honours list?
Probably not.
It could be nothing more than the fact that the Bill Francis "brand name"
is now so utterly bereft of any value whatsoever, and to be frank, held in such complete and utter contempt by the vast majority of crew, that he has simply decided to "re-brand" himself as just plain old "Bill".
Let's face it; it does sound a little chummier, "matey" if you will. It fits perfectly with "Bill's a good lad" or "that Bill's a nice bloke"
perhaps. Virtually everybody has an uncle Bill, and without exception they are usually nice! Perhaps he hopes some of that fondness that people usually have for a "good old Uncle Bill" will finally rub off on him.
Or maybe he just hopes that you will just think it's somebody else called "Bill" so his recent, ill-judged statements and crass comments such as it's an "exciting time to come to work in IFCE if we could all forget the dispute" or "we are investing more than ever in the customer experience"
wouldn't sound quite so hollow. Or even that there is a slim chance that the diminishing number of "real" crew may just take him seriously.
Because let's face it, these words could not seriously come from the real current head of IFCE, could they? Not the man who presides over a department where his own people sit on a car park bus in near silence, only speaking to those they know and can trust, afraid to look at, or even strike up a conversation with colleagues that they don't know just in case they say the wrong thing or glance at somebody the "wrong way". Where the value of CRM has completely and utterly gone, as the majority of crew turn their backs on pilot colleagues for turning their backs on us. Then, when they finally get to work, spend a substantial amount of that time apologising to our actual customers for the ever-diminishing product we have to offer?
Those words could not come from "that" Bill surely?
A far more likely theory could be that he realises nobody but a handful of his chosen acolytes actually ever read his stuff anyway, and that these are so few in number that he is more than likely on first name terms with them anyway.
Let's be honest, rather than trying to curry favour with a name change, perhaps a simple show of hands would have sufficed to obtain the credibility amongst crew that he so desperately chases...
Hands up all those who think that good old Bill "exciting place to work"
Francis is doing a great job and should be duly recognised for his sterling work?
Hmmm, maybe he should stick with "William" after all...hello? Hello? Bill?
Bill?