I believe that the ongoing BA dispute is more to do with the imposition of the following work scheme...
- It's not about swiping cards on and off shift!!
Annualised Hours - Most Aviation Industry Companies are considering this scheme of working; to save on traditional large Overtime payments during the busier summer months and peaks etc.
An Interesting time ahead, as "Management" try and convince their workers to adopt this method in not only BA but also rumoured amongst other Ground Handling Agents.
Annualised Hours - Making Time Work for Your Company
Annualised hours systems are becoming increasingly popular in many industries including the manufacturing and service sectors as it efficiently manages a company's human resources provision, reducing overtime and helping it to plan for busy/quiet periods more effectively.
An annualised hours system allows employees and employers to agree on their working hours for the entire year rather than on a week-by-week basis.
The increased flexibility provides important cost savings for the company as overtime wages are reduced during busy periods, whilst reduced working hours can be worked during quiet times.
Using the annualised hours system a schedule is drawn up and agreed between the human resources department and each member of staff. This schedule typically states a number of basic rostered hours with a number of hours to be kept in reserve to be used when the employee and employer agree.
This reserve allocation allows increased flexibility so that during busy periods employees are available at their standard wage instead of overtime pay.
An employee's salary is then usually paid in equal weekly or monthly instalments regardless of the number of hours worked in each specific period.
Wages for the reserve hours will have been accounted for in the employee's annual salary so when the employee is called upon, for example, to cover sickness, emergencies, or sudden fluctuations in production demand, there is no need to pay overtime.
This is advantageous for employees as if they are not called upon to use all of their agreed reserve hours they effectively receive a higher rate of pay than if they had been paid on an hourly basis.
An annualised hours policy has advantages for both the employee and employer. The employer can plan more effectively, increase productivity and reduce costs, while the employee receives a regular and stable level of pay throughout the year. Job security is also enhanced as the threat of redundancies due to seasonal dips is reduced.
To make the system work effectively the planning of working hours must be efficiently managed.
A computerised time and attendance system can make the operation of an annualised hours system far easier than a manual paper-based approach. The system's forward planning module manages each employee's annualised hours schedule and records the reserve hours agreed and those worked.
The management information can show at a glance any significant impact that the basic and reserve working hours may have on time allocation and job/project costing.
Moreover, the employee whose working pattern has changed has the added benefit of being able to check on their balance whenever they want, either via a dedicated terminal or over an Intranet or Internet connection.
The main aim of using an annualised hours system is to reduce overtime, absences and costs, improve productivity and create a stable, yet flexible, working environment for employees.
Well that's how they're trying to sell it, However if flexible shifts are imposed on their workforce rather than negotiated I forsee much more trouble ahead.
