BA Suspends T4 Checkin - Wildcat Strike?
 

Rumour is that the baggage handlers have walked out...?

Catering strike.?
 

sky suggests it is to do with catering...and showed RED Cross food parcels being handed out..
Sky asking people to sms info to them......

Bumz

See other post on this forum, suggesting it's catering.

Mods? Merge?

red cross food parcels?
you sure its red cross?
i suggest you have wrong info there - and that red cross would rather give food parcels to people in sudan and niger than people stuck in t4 for a few hours next to macdonalds, pret a manger and numerous other eateries...

This morning's Metro said that Gate Gourmet had employed 130 'seasonal' workers and this has caused a bit of a stink with their permanent staff, who took some action yesterday, apparently affecting some BA flights.

Sounds like it's kicked off again today.

(also put this on the other thread)

BBC reporting all check-in suspended in T1 and T4, due to wildcat action of Baggage Handlers and Bus Drivers, in sympathy with the Catering staff.

Some flights now showing substantial delays.

...and here's hoping that they too will get the boot themselves.

I hope so I didn't think you were allowed to strike in sympathy any more. Bang, there goes another shot in the foot.

hey cut that sh1t out.
there are at least a couple of thousand people here with me in terminal 1 who want to get home.
this has been extremely badly handled by BA staff......the shop keepers inside the terminal were telling the passengers about the bag snatchers walking out at least 90 minutes before BA staff fessed up. Piss poor effort! People very angry in here. Time to get to the bar and get a ring side seat for the biffo to come !

From the BBC:
 

BA flights hit as staff walk out

All British Airways flights from Heathrow have been suspended after some staff walked out in support of sacked catering workers.
The sacked staff were not employed by BA, but for flight meals supply firm Gate Gourmet.

BA baggage handlers, loaders and bus drivers have walked out in sympathy with the catering workers.

Gate Gourmet sacked 800 staff in a row over plans to restructure the company, in west London, on Wednesday.

They were sacked after what employers called an unofficial strike.

BA disruption helpline
0870 850 9850

On Wednesday, four British Airways flights from Heathrow were cancelled due to a lack of food.

BA had been providing food bags and vouchers and may compensate some customers.

The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) said it was trying to begin talks with Gate Gourmet to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Gate Gourmet's Andy Cook told BBC News: "We are in the situation at the moment where we need to make changes.

"We really do want to do that with the cooperation of the union and the staff but we have to manage the business otherwise it will cease to exist."


Gate Gourmet said it had told the union it was facing a financial crisis and claimed the actions of the staff had jeopardised the livelihoods of the entire 2,000-strong workforce.

But the TGWU said managers had provoked the dispute and the union was taking legal advice.

Kuldip Banger, one of the sacked members of staff said: "I can't express my feelings. I'm really hurting. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat and I don't know what to say any more."

Jim Vicars, a driver and loader, said some of his colleagues had been sacked while they were on holiday or off sick.

"That's the sort of management we are dealing with," he said.

BA flights had left the west London airport on Wednesday and Thursday with only basic supplies of water, tea and coffee.

Anyone have any insight into what is wrong with Gate Gourmet?

1/ Lucrative contract with British Airways - biggest carrier at LHR.

2/ Worker contracts in place.

So why are they in such dire financial straights? Bad management of the business? BA not paying enough for the services provided?

Just heard that KLM have walked out as well.

I think you may find it is overtight profit margins in a very competitive industry. The relentless drive down of costs made airlines' own catering departments unable to compete against independent catering firms massive purchasing power and lower meal unit costs. The competition is cut throat, and the union is a dinosaur from the 80s- the TGWU and its stranglehold on all things aviation. Cost cutting and lack of profits for GG have caused this confrontation. BA is just caught in the fallout of TGWU v GG. It is not supposed to happen, and secondary striking is illegal. I hope the companies will have the courage to call the TGWU to account, and sack all the people out on sympathy strikes in the different companies. They are effectively sacking themselves. It must be stamped out. Take them on now once and for all- the industry is sick of these wildcat strikes and the enormous costs that eventually the public must bear.

Looking forward to see what Willy's gonna do about it.

Gate Gourmet lost the Virgin contract a couple of months ago......a huge chunk of business to lose, and clearly the rest of the organisation needs to re-structure / downsize / modify working practices to cope with the different business profile they now have.

Lots of objections to the proposed plans and changes to working practices, hence yesterday's unofficial walkout (illegal?) by Gate Gourmet staff.....probably playing right into the management's hands?

Ba should seize the oportunity to now contract out the busdrivers for a start, workshy scum that they are.

Was out on the ramp a few mins ago, and BA a/c are lined up from one end of the airport to the other with nowhere to park.

Airfield Ops said they are only allowing those low on fuel into LHR, the rest will have to divert elsewhere.

:)

'Bout time the pilots joined in, surely they are not operating long haul flights without proper catering? What, no canopies Nigel?

Sack the bloody lot of them. Just when BA seems to have recovered from the last one.

Do those baggage numpties feel that BA are to blame for Gate Gouremets trouble.

If BA are some how to blame (I sincerely doubt it) then you could think they've got a valid reason. But there is absolutely no reason to strike except that the sun's shining. Leg it home to fire up the barbee.

They really couldn't give a toss on how this will impact BA.

Stand up strong BA