HiWing
I don't think that is particularly fair to the BALPA reps really. IB Express demonstrates that IAG is perfectly capable and willing to set up duplicate operations at the same hub airport under the same brand and selling to the same customers, purely to undermine the perpetuation of an expensive workforce. Pragmatism rather than militancy is the way to get to the most ideal position in the long run.
The IB guys are dead in the water having taken the alternative route with the way they have dealt with IB management - no recruitment for 11 years counting, and no prospects as the fleet is transferred out to IB Express. With minimum service requirements in Spain, longhaul services are unaffected by strikes while shorthaul will cease to exist in mainline before too long. Game, set and match.
Regardless of whether we here perceive it as right or wrong, Ts & Cs are very good at BA, albeit competitive compared to IB, AF-KLM and LH, but still above what many could hope to receive at many other UK operators.
Simply drawing a straight line to the original top paypoint salary and extending it to the new PP34 does not seem fair, but we are not privy to the negotiations that took place.
I think on balance, the ability to combine bmi, new DEPs, FPPs and current mainline under one single seniority list with the ability to negotiate together in future is very important - you only have to look at the far worse backstabbing that exists in the cabin crew community when the representation is not coordinated.
Yes, it is a real shame, but we chose to work in the airline industry. Collectively it has not made a net profit throughout its history yet despite subsidies and protectionism galore.
From the individual perspective, it would be unwise for us as new entrants to help create any gulf with existing mainline crew over this issue. No doubt there will be other, future combinations and events over our careers at which time the position of BALPA may be far stronger than that of IAG/BA, which could enable reversal / streamlining.
I feel better about this than the alternative of joining the bottom of a new BA Express, which had been my greater fear for the past few months.
I do not feel this is in any way the same sort of trojan horse as the new CX cadets are - nobody can support a family and live in HK in any reasonable accomodation with what is on offer now in that business, and with so few common causes, that really is a divise workforce.
Binsleepin - does that analysis translate to the P1 scales, as I doubt anyone will make PP34 as P2...