Dear Gentlemen!
I am not with CX but with Lufti and would like to spill my 2 cents - make it 20000 cents. Pleeaaaaaseee excuse my spelling etc.. english is not my mother language and I am writing here in a cafe without the time to structure my words.
We had a strike and it was a nasty one. The company did everything to discredit us in public and inside the company.The gave out infos to the press which were deliberately wrong eg. we only work 78 hrs inkl preperation, turnaround etc.. make x amount cash etc.. the usuall bull. I wrote our management that all I want is what they publish and i will be a scab. LH cancelled a newspaper ( Süddeutsche Newspaper) which wrote a few balanced! articles immediately, of course because of lack of demand.. We found out through calling them why they no longer are offered on board our flights, and they told us - most pilots ordered a subscription.
Mgmnt organised a "sponanious" demonstration against us of with the catering, Maint. and Groundstaff.. Funny thing was they all had printed high gloss posters...normally take a week to do... Basically it was a bit nasty. We all stuck together and we got a good deal, not perfect but there are still some contracts up for negotiation, and now we are trying to get back to normal, which is impossible in my opinion, since the actions from the mgmnt side inkl flying mgnt were unexcusable. They feel the pinch now and will for a long time.
A few scabs flew during our strike. We published a list of them internally and rest assured they are going through hell!! Just had a 5 day trip with one from the list. I gave him a chance to state his reasons. He couldnt and those 5 days were not funny for him! And this will go on for a loooong time. There is a lot to do and let happen in 5 days, belive me.
This should be considered by those charakterless spinless pilots (I remember a GA Bush flyer and a few others)when you join CX now. It will stick for a long time and believe me its no fun. It s because of such uneducated pricks like them that our industry is slowly going down. If we all could wait a few weeks, it will be for the benifit of all.
But stupit bushfliers like him dont see the big picture.
He complains about his current working condition but has he ever thought why his working conditions are so low? Maybe because the likes of him will fly for food? Will pay for their own rating? Will do anything to get a job? Well there you go!! And now you want to do the same thing again? I am sure you will be dumb enough to complain in a few years when the condtions of service at the new company you basically scabed into go down!! Your entry date will show up and its not funny to come into the crewlounge with all the other people there already informed what you are. I did it and will do it again with our scabs.
Maybe somebody could publish a list of your managers, CEO, Personell and flight ops guys involved in the sackings. Just a list here with name and function, like your ceo, deputies, fleetguys, personell office guys etc.. just for info for everybody so we know who works where in CX, not to be missused of course against them.....
You never know who asks for a jumpseat, upgrading "voluntary" offloading, lost baggage etc...Also if one of these incompetent pricks comes to a company nearby it is good to know where he came from. Or just mail it to me if Danny is unhappy with a simple list of names and functions with no add. text. Should not be illegal i think.
Remember It is up to us pilots to make a flight from a-b profitable or a huge loss!A few mini decisions where nobody can piss up your leg and they can scrach their bonus pay, did it bevor and will do it again.
We pilots are always directly responsible for our action. We stuff it up there are 3 options: Dead, Hospital or Court room or a combination of all.And we will get no money whatsoever! albeit our daily risks. Managers can f... up as much as the want and they get 3 options: Golden Handshake (take a few million marks), Promotion or nothing happens!
They argue since they can be replaced day to day they need these fall back options in their contract. Well it can happen to me as well, day to day even more than a seat warming pencil pusher. And lets not forget, what these guys are doing is not a big deal. Although my english is bad, I have a Magister (Degree in Europe) and elected to go for my passion, but I know the mgmnt is only cooking with water like everybody else. When I finished my degree in my first job as a product mngr I woke up. Could have saved me the 5 years of learning. It was all comon sense and logics. Its information, vision and decision. So we should also consider the fact that they can as well be replaced immediately and there are hundreds waiting to get in 4 years of experience in HKG, just like me when I finished my degree. So dont be intimidated by them. What angers me is that because of the current system every mgr brings up the stock for the 4 year goal so he gets his options in, and that there is no possibility to hold him accoutable after that. In reality it is just a game of cashing in on your options as a friend of mine told me - he is Head of marketing with a carrental. You come, bring up the game and leave for better grounds for another round. And all the upper mgnt staff that stays follows the four yearplan of the ceo in respect to the stock price, then you sell and wait for the new guy. There is no nostalgic touch to build a company, build values, blablabla - sad, but true. So lets force them to at least let us live. We have to spoon out the soup they cook and I want money for that.
CX Fellows, stick it out ( till all are reinstated), remain united and get advice from ALPA and the like on
PR and tactics. They all cook with water, so we all can cook as well. Rostering is the most important thing in everybodys life next to job security and pay. All three are gone with cx and I cannot imagine that to many good pilots are interested in a job there. colleages of mine applied and retreated after the sacking.
There is a good book "The dairy of a union buster" seems like the mgmnt read it. Ours did! By the way is the work to rule, what we all do anyway everyday, also with the based guys in Europe. Saw no disruption here with the cargo ops in FRA , which runs under a LH Flight number. Is their rostering also influenced by HKG or are the VETA guys considered a seperate lot in CX?
Sorry to bore you guys here, but one more thing. Be aware that on a "hundred dollar" flight ticket only 1.9 dollars are the costs for the flight crew! 40 Dollars are Marketing,Sales and Admin!! Have it in writing from our CEO in a gloosy infobrochure on the costs involved on a 100DM ticket. Very interesting i might say. Lets save a bit of money on the 40% factor!! Sorry once more for my spelling, its very late.
All the best and GOOD LUCK!
edited for the most obvious mistakes, good night!
[ 01 August 2001: Message edited by: cws ]