Apparentely asking for a legally binding contract that protects our earnings and futures is too much to ask for.
Welcome to the real world. Nobody has legally binding contracts that protect them into the future! When the oil price hits the ceiling and the company has to cut overheads you want to have a legally binding contract that the company can default on on its way to bankruptcy and then wonder why they won't agree. Sorry but please, please, please understand the idiocy of demanding 'future proof, legally binding contracts' because it will never, ever happen in a private company. Sadly those in the public sector are now starting to see that even the deep pockets of the Tax man can't afford to continue to shower them with money into their dottage either!
No one has them. No-One, not Willie Walsh, not Kieth Williams, they are on rolling contracts with their productivity bonuses attached. They have to work damn hard to achieve them. You want their money, their bonuses and their terms? Go do their job.
As to an agenda, yep the company had one, reduce costs. As to difficulty negotiating, as your representitives. The 'you tube' link is still kicking around to the childish video I seem to remember.
BASSA need to accept that this one never had the moral high ground, never had the backing of anyone else except the gravy train riding senior CSD reps and never had the legs to make a successful outcome.
Time to put it to bed and look to the future and try and salvage something from the mess BASSA and their SWP stalwarts have left behind. If you can't then I'm sure the recovery will find you something to do.