BA Unofficial Strike ( Merged)
Join Date: Aug 2005
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MAybe now BA shud anounce plans to go LoCo for the next few weeks then there would be no need for GG at all on shorthaul. Pax earlier were quite happy to have a lunch voucher as they could buy what they wanted before they boarded the aircraft and not have to eat inflight catering.
Those of you demanding that BA sack all those who have walked out are forgetting something.
CRC.
Criminal Record Check.
All airside staff need one and they take several weeks to process.
Perhaps a more liberal and diplomatic approach is required.
And another thing.
Perhaps if BA hadn't put all it's longhaul eggs in one basket and branched out to the UK regions/LGW they would be able to cope a bit better when it hits the fan!
Buster, it's THEIR not THIER by the way.
CRC.
Criminal Record Check.
All airside staff need one and they take several weeks to process.
Perhaps a more liberal and diplomatic approach is required.
And another thing.
Perhaps if BA hadn't put all it's longhaul eggs in one basket and branched out to the UK regions/LGW they would be able to cope a bit better when it hits the fan!
Buster, it's THEIR not THIER by the way.
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There must be a load of folks on here who are in the know .....
How long will it take for this mess to get sorted out and the BA flights get back to some sort of normality ?
I am due to fly down to LHR tomorrow night to fly onward with another airline on Sunday morning, hence my questions...
If I have to get down by other means to guarantee getting my flight for a two week holiday, do I get a refund from BA for the ticket I have paid for ?
If not, will I be allowed to use the return sector of my BA flight if I dont use the first sector ?
I would be grateful for any PM replies as so not to clog up the thread.
Many thanks
How long will it take for this mess to get sorted out and the BA flights get back to some sort of normality ?
I am due to fly down to LHR tomorrow night to fly onward with another airline on Sunday morning, hence my questions...
If I have to get down by other means to guarantee getting my flight for a two week holiday, do I get a refund from BA for the ticket I have paid for ?
If not, will I be allowed to use the return sector of my BA flight if I dont use the first sector ?
I would be grateful for any PM replies as so not to clog up the thread.
Many thanks
Join Date: Mar 2005
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Ummmmm...to those of you claiming the pilots were told FA while the cabin crew were offered hotel rooms...TOTAL BULLS**t!! And I know, cos I was there.
I checked in at 14:00. No bus to take us from Compass to T1/T4. Pilots and cabin crew told to go back into Compass Centre and wait for news. No one was offered a hotel room.
Several hours later a PA was made for the pilots to make their way to a particular area of the building. It was announced to them that the flying programme had been cancelled and that they were to go home. The cabin crew then found out second hand from some of our collegues up-front who came let us know what they were told.
We (the cabin crew) were then informed by public address about 45 minutes after that, that all flights were cancelled and to go home. No offer of a hotel room. Saying that, I have always found BA to be a great employer and i'm sure that if anyone, cockpit or cabin crew, were in need of a hotel room BA would do it's best to accommodate the request.
I am really saddened by the action of the BA ramp staff. I am a union member myself (BASSA). I can honestly say I would never support wildcat strikes within the cabin crew community. A ballot should have been issued, the correct notice given and then a strike called.
I do think it is awful how the Gate Gourmet staff have been treated, but one of the advantages of living in the UK is that we have unions and Employment laws to protect us and take employers to task who mistreat us. there really is no need, or excuse, for walking off the job without notice.
I checked in at 14:00. No bus to take us from Compass to T1/T4. Pilots and cabin crew told to go back into Compass Centre and wait for news. No one was offered a hotel room.
Several hours later a PA was made for the pilots to make their way to a particular area of the building. It was announced to them that the flying programme had been cancelled and that they were to go home. The cabin crew then found out second hand from some of our collegues up-front who came let us know what they were told.
We (the cabin crew) were then informed by public address about 45 minutes after that, that all flights were cancelled and to go home. No offer of a hotel room. Saying that, I have always found BA to be a great employer and i'm sure that if anyone, cockpit or cabin crew, were in need of a hotel room BA would do it's best to accommodate the request.
I am really saddened by the action of the BA ramp staff. I am a union member myself (BASSA). I can honestly say I would never support wildcat strikes within the cabin crew community. A ballot should have been issued, the correct notice given and then a strike called.
I do think it is awful how the Gate Gourmet staff have been treated, but one of the advantages of living in the UK is that we have unions and Employment laws to protect us and take employers to task who mistreat us. there really is no need, or excuse, for walking off the job without notice.
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TURIN. THEIR THIER?
I quote:
Perhaps a more liberal and diplomatic approach is required
A lack of a full stop or question mark TURIN? A smiley is not an excuse for very poor English grammer!
I quote:
Perhaps a more liberal and diplomatic approach is required
A lack of a full stop or question mark TURIN? A smiley is not an excuse for very poor English grammer!
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Buster: Good points, well made.
Keeperboy: You'd be surprised just how ineffective these so-called strong employment laws are in the UK.
To some of the 'sack the lot of em' brigade: I hope it never happens to you. The days of Victorian-style mill owners are long-gone and some of your attitudes should have gone with them. GG management need to take a long hard look at how they badly mismanaged this situation. Wouldn't surprise me if GG is spoken of in the past tense within 12months.
Keeperboy: You'd be surprised just how ineffective these so-called strong employment laws are in the UK.
To some of the 'sack the lot of em' brigade: I hope it never happens to you. The days of Victorian-style mill owners are long-gone and some of your attitudes should have gone with them. GG management need to take a long hard look at how they badly mismanaged this situation. Wouldn't surprise me if GG is spoken of in the past tense within 12months.
Join Date: Dec 2002
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I can see that this is going to be a rather large mess to clear up, so am not going to stick oar in there ...
... but this is worth reading ... if simply for the smirk value:
Passenger Comments to BBC News - here
Jordan
... but this is worth reading ... if simply for the smirk value:
Passenger Comments to BBC News - here
Jordan
A smiley is not an excuse for very poor English grammer!
Buster, surely you mean GRAMMAR .
Join Date: Jun 2005
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BA Cabin Crew Effectively Join Strike...
This from BASSA (the cabin crew union):
We will be brief at this time, but we know that BA have a great deal of responsibility for this mess. It is complex, but the most important thing we would ask of you all - is that these sackings could be our BASSA members.
Although we are not directly involved (at this time), have no doubt we will stand forsquare with our T&G members at Gate Gourmet and all our colleagues on the ground.
We have met this bully boy tactics before, in 1997, and since. We ask of all of you, do not under any circumstances, break your industrial agreements, whatever the pressure to do so. If anybody trys to coerce you, it is called harassment and bullying and we will take them to task over it, if it happens ask them to repeat it in front of a witness
BASSA have been asked by BA to initiate the 'Disruption Agreement" on Worldwide this request went to the Branch Chairman of BASSA at 17.33hrs. Our Branch Chairman has refused - so the DISRUPTION AGREEMENT IS NOT IN FORCE.
If anybody tells you a different story, they are not informed, stupid or just lying. This is a difficult time for crew as well, not knowing when they will get home, future trips etc. Please be patient with the mobile phones, remember they are for emergencies, and they will be extremely busy. We will update as soon as we have more information.
We will be brief at this time, but we know that BA have a great deal of responsibility for this mess. It is complex, but the most important thing we would ask of you all - is that these sackings could be our BASSA members.
Although we are not directly involved (at this time), have no doubt we will stand forsquare with our T&G members at Gate Gourmet and all our colleagues on the ground.
We have met this bully boy tactics before, in 1997, and since. We ask of all of you, do not under any circumstances, break your industrial agreements, whatever the pressure to do so. If anybody trys to coerce you, it is called harassment and bullying and we will take them to task over it, if it happens ask them to repeat it in front of a witness
BASSA have been asked by BA to initiate the 'Disruption Agreement" on Worldwide this request went to the Branch Chairman of BASSA at 17.33hrs. Our Branch Chairman has refused - so the DISRUPTION AGREEMENT IS NOT IN FORCE.
If anybody tells you a different story, they are not informed, stupid or just lying. This is a difficult time for crew as well, not knowing when they will get home, future trips etc. Please be patient with the mobile phones, remember they are for emergencies, and they will be extremely busy. We will update as soon as we have more information.
Eee! Just another benefit of living oop north where we don't have to worry about flying through Heathrow, cos there's so many other alternatives, and BA is just another carrier.
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Mr Anon,
This was a message posted internally to the BASSA membership on a secure internal website with password required. Are you a BASSA member?
In any event, to say Cabin Crew have effectively joined the strike is GROSSLY misleading.
As it stands, MYSELF, AND MY COLLEAGUES, WILL BE TURNING UP FOR OUR TRIPS TOMORROW, we have NOT been balloted for strike action. We've been advised not to break our agreements (fair enough), but we're NOT on strike.
Mr Anon, if you are a Bassa member, are you on strike? If you're the partner/husband/etc of a BASSA member and this is how you read this information, is your other half on strike?
Didn't think so.
People need to calm down and stop throwing rumours around without first substantiating them.
This was a message posted internally to the BASSA membership on a secure internal website with password required. Are you a BASSA member?
In any event, to say Cabin Crew have effectively joined the strike is GROSSLY misleading.
As it stands, MYSELF, AND MY COLLEAGUES, WILL BE TURNING UP FOR OUR TRIPS TOMORROW, we have NOT been balloted for strike action. We've been advised not to break our agreements (fair enough), but we're NOT on strike.
Mr Anon, if you are a Bassa member, are you on strike? If you're the partner/husband/etc of a BASSA member and this is how you read this information, is your other half on strike?
Didn't think so.
People need to calm down and stop throwing rumours around without first substantiating them.
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JUST ANOTHER CARRIER......Goodness me Barry old lad, no we're not, we're head and shoulders above the rest in our labour relations, our standards of management, of probity, of square dealing, of passenger and public relations......we're just the greatest, and our economic and industrial relations record show it - to say nothing of our reputation. Long live us - pass the cheeseboard please.
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TURIN...Correct, you seem hell bent on marking GRAMMER and not reading the text!
Workers turning up for the afternoon shift at airline caterer Gate Gourmet today were left confused, dazed and out of work after it appeared they were sacked by megaphone. Eyewitnesses from the T&G said someone, thought to be a Gate Gourmet manager, made an announcement which people found difficult to hear. It transpired very soon afterwards that a twenty minute warning had been issued to staff arriving for the afternoon shift that if they failed to report for work they would be sacked. This was later confirmed in a note handed out. By the time the people realised what was happening, they had, effectively, been sacked.
Brendan Gold, the T&G national secretary for civil aviation said the whole process this afternoon had been a "a truly bizarre situation which has left people angry, confused, out of work and in a state of shock. If this morning was a difficult situation, this afternoon has taken a much more sinister turn."
The union also revealed details of how the Gate Gourmet managers at Heathrow had undermined the "rescue package" in June this year. T&G representatives said to the company that the restructuring proposals needed to be across the board and include the management grades if the plans were to have credibility. However, the company then re-graded 147 shop-floor workers, who earned around £14,000, as managers only to make them redundant. Then it was made clear that managers in the new structure would be on higher starting salaries than before with the lowest grade paying £18,000 as opposed to £14,000 and other starting salaries being raised to between £22,000 and £28,000. The company was told by the T&G reps that these changes would effectively mean the managers were excluded from the whole process. The rescue package was then rejected because of this by a margin of nine to one.
"From start to finish we have been trying to deal with this company in a straightforward manner," said Mr. Gold. "But what we saw in June has been intensified today. We will take legal advice on the actions of this company in respect of our members but this is far from over."
Workers turning up for the afternoon shift at airline caterer Gate Gourmet today were left confused, dazed and out of work after it appeared they were sacked by megaphone. Eyewitnesses from the T&G said someone, thought to be a Gate Gourmet manager, made an announcement which people found difficult to hear. It transpired very soon afterwards that a twenty minute warning had been issued to staff arriving for the afternoon shift that if they failed to report for work they would be sacked. This was later confirmed in a note handed out. By the time the people realised what was happening, they had, effectively, been sacked.
Brendan Gold, the T&G national secretary for civil aviation said the whole process this afternoon had been a "a truly bizarre situation which has left people angry, confused, out of work and in a state of shock. If this morning was a difficult situation, this afternoon has taken a much more sinister turn."
The union also revealed details of how the Gate Gourmet managers at Heathrow had undermined the "rescue package" in June this year. T&G representatives said to the company that the restructuring proposals needed to be across the board and include the management grades if the plans were to have credibility. However, the company then re-graded 147 shop-floor workers, who earned around £14,000, as managers only to make them redundant. Then it was made clear that managers in the new structure would be on higher starting salaries than before with the lowest grade paying £18,000 as opposed to £14,000 and other starting salaries being raised to between £22,000 and £28,000. The company was told by the T&G reps that these changes would effectively mean the managers were excluded from the whole process. The rescue package was then rejected because of this by a margin of nine to one.
"From start to finish we have been trying to deal with this company in a straightforward manner," said Mr. Gold. "But what we saw in June has been intensified today. We will take legal advice on the actions of this company in respect of our members but this is far from over."
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Contradict the message? I certainly contradicted the original post.
In block capitals, I don't know how I could have made it any clearer. We're not on strike!
No clucking here, just trying to clarify the situation.
I never was fond of turkey at xmas anyway. cheers.
In block capitals, I don't know how I could have made it any clearer. We're not on strike!
No clucking here, just trying to clarify the situation.
I never was fond of turkey at xmas anyway. cheers.