What's Happening at BA ?

[Crashed & Burned]

I hear rumours that BA is beginning to feel the effects of loosing Licenced Avionic Engineers, especially at Gatwick.
Is this true?
Why are these people leaving? I always thought BA offered a good long term career with good promotion prospects!

[Ali Crom]

Looks as if there's nobody left at LGW to answer this thread , just like the BA ad says " where is everybody? "

[topman]

last one out, turn off the lights.

[time-ex]

All the one's left at BA LGW are filling their boots with overtime, just like their LHR equivalents they can live at work if they want. I've seen some big numbers on these guys end of year pay packets. I reckon Mr. Taxman will be sending them something in the post real soon. Whatever happened to limited overtime?

[trapper]

Sure is true about the OT, plenty if you want it and you are avionic. LGW is short (a couple more have recently left) but LHR is not exactly awash with cover. BA proposed answer is to use mechanical guys with avionic extension! Do I think this will affect my job security??......nah.If you're new to the licensed game in BA it does not pay to stay as license pay is long defunct, its only us old gits with red ring that hang in there and milk the OT.

[trapper]

p.s. promotion prospects at BA are virtually nil. The only way you can earn extra after LAE is to change career and go into management (BA usually uses ex engineers to do this rather than train professional managers). There are occasionaly development engineer vacancies that are offer less pressure than LAE with 5 per cent pay rise to boot!

[NFF_PRF]

BA? Promotion? Certainly not if you are an Avionic LAE!
The management just don't seem to care anymore.
RMA working has destroyed the little moral that the avionic tech used to have. What chance do they have to gain the experience needed to take licences when all they do is ramp checks?

A friend of mine is soon to jump ship, I think more may follow.

[Ali Crom]

And another thing....
As Trapper rightly says there's no license pay. So in effect there is no incentive for potential candidates to study for licenses as the only pay increase they get is when promoted to the LAE grade (which tends to be 'dead-mans-shoes' unless they're avionic trade ).
This was the position I found myself not so many years ago & I was actually being paid less than a BMA holder until a vacancy appeared. Is this a similar situation with other airlines ? Me thinks not.
Currently , BA is reducing the no. of staff employed in the 3 fleets ( about 230+ in Fleet 1 alone ) through what they call " natural wastage " so there is alot of streamlining going on at present.
The shortage of Engineers both licenced & unlicenced is a fact but not in all areas. Dare I say it , some areas are actually top heavy with licensed personel so on paper the figures probably don't look that bad but because the 3 fleets & the many areas within those fleets don't move their staff around to fill the gaps so some areas will always be worse off than others.

So it would appear IMHO that the management arn't that bothered about people leaving yet but as history has a tendancy to repeat itself & management let most of their experienced Engineers migrate to pastures new with the eventual impact that will have on the operation then & only then will they do anything about it.

[This message has been edited by Ali Crom (edited 12 April 2001).]

[NFF_PRF]

And don't forget all those Licence holders with office jobs!
Yes they still exist and most still hold authorisations! Don't believe the "we have passified them". It's more like "We have passified some", which is why one of the guys I work with still has 707 Avionic CRS. Now when did BA last have a need for that?

On top of all that 40 are about to be shoved up to LHR......
The new Boss has stated that staff moral must be a top issue. Imagine how you would feel having to travel 1+hrs each way to work and then do a complete shift.
I know some people choose to travel that distance but a lot of us have relocated nearer to work to reduce travel time.

[trapper]

remember 40 is the first wave NFF. more to follow soon I hear.

[NFF_PRF]

You don't have to remind me.......

[time-ex]

We've got some GREAT BIG avionics guys at LHR who work all hours to "fill in" just waiting for the LGW guys to show so we can actually fix something, I hope we are not dissapointed. I extend a big arm around the shoulder to welcome you to our "happy" family.
A volunteer is worth 2 pressed men!
So what is 1 pressed man worth?
If you worked at BA 10-20 years ago you wouldn't recognise the place now. Hence the posting "Whats a trap?"

[exeng]

It's a little off thread (sorry).

I jumped ship many years ago, as did many of my mates. However I'm still looking forward to the 35 year reunion of the 1968 BEA/BOAC intake of engineering apprentices.

Is anybody out there??


Regards
Exeng

[Clever Bloke]

It's not just the transfers to LHR we worry about. Other transfers in the offing include BHX, MAN and GLA.....long way to drive every day!

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[Penn Doff]

I can't believe that you have to send your dirty pants to your boss to get an early trap at BA! Why do you have to leave them in a bin bag behind a road sign, can't you just send them through the internal mail?

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"please report further"

[time-ex]

BA Dirty Pants by internal mail? What internal mail? All the latest dirty pants are on internal email.

[Ali Crom]

Ahem Appologies for being slow on the uptake. What's all these criptic references to 'Dirty Pants' all about then?
TX , I've tried sending my Dirty pants by e-mail but now the disc drive won't work. God knows what the man from EDS will say!

[gas path]

You didn't see CH4 last night then!

[Penn Doff]

The penny has dropped!!!!!!!!

See also the thread about the programme!!

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"please report further"

[Ali Crom]

I Didn't have the pleasure of viewing the particular programme you refer to . Anybody care to enlighten me as to it's content?