Allowing BA's pilots to vote for their own destruction, is merely a psychological exercise by Willie. Once the BMI pilots are assimilated amongst the ranks of BA's legacy flight crew, the will to fight any further changes will be diluted.
It seems that this reversal for fortunes suffered by BA pilots, has caused a reassessment of what the cabin crew faced. According to a couple of CSD friends of mine, they are being everso nice to the cabin crew all of a sudden, as it dawns on them that whilst serving drinks in the cabins, Willie was sharpening his knife for them.
Voting YES to this deal is a short term fix for what lays ahead. BA flight crew should demonstrate a bit more perspicacity and see that a NO vote buys more time, and places the ball back in Willies court. The previous policy of appeasement has run aground like an Italian cruise liner. BA's cabin crew were right to sock it between the eyes to Willie, with a call for a 12 day strike over Christmas. That is the language Willie understands. If it had come off, rather than a Judge using tenuous legal arguments to overturn a democratic ballot, then it would have been all over.
A YES vote will cause disunity and mistrust, exactly what Willie wants. A NO vote could unite a majority against the common cause. Better to be hung for a sheep than a lamb perhaps?