Industrial action for easyJet?

[Dolley]

I work for easyjet and the company has decided to go the unusual step to propose the latest pay rise offer for cabin crew and ground staff directly to us instead of going the established way through the unions.

The recieved letters and emails are very well worded and quite subtle in their way. Andrew Harrison makes sure to relate to us, empathize with us, even mentions that 'we are in the same boat'. Furthermore, it is indicated that it's the unions fault that we are having to wait for our money for so long as they need to contact us for a ballot. It obviously doesn't get mentioned that the unions wouldn't have to do so if the company and them could agree, which apperantley they can't.

I love my job and I really enjoy working for easyJet but things are getting slighly to political for me. The reason why I'm a member of the union is that I don't have all the necessary information needed for a qualified oppinion if this pay rise offer is fair or not. From what I can gather the deal doesn't sound too bad, until you hear the deal that has been offered to the flight crew. I appreciate that the flight deck job is in a totally different league...which is why they get paid quite a bit more in the first place...but it doesn't sound very fair that their pay rise deal is better on top of that! I mean 4% of £90.000 is already much more than 4% of £18.000 ( In both cases these are pretty much randomly picked numbers just to make my point.) but we won't even get the 4%! It just doesn't seem to add up to me.

Industrial action really should be a last resort but with the company regarding us as 'second class' I don't see any other way this will go.

On the other hand there is apperantly a Union rep from one of the Unions who has resigned because she thinks it's a good offer and disagrees herself with the Union. But neither she nor the company says anything about the difference between the offer made to us and the offer made to the flight deck.

I would love to ask the management this question but as I'm still Probationary and I hope to stay with the company for some time and want to progress within it I'm worried that me voicing those concerns will have a negative influence on my future within the company.

I really would like to hear different opinions and thoughts on this matter because admitedly I am slightly confused!
At the current state I would probably vote for industrial action although I find it a very drastic step to take.

[Getoutofmygalley]

The pay deal is being tabled is 8.5% which does sound fantastic, but you have to take into account that it isn't all being paid in one lump. It is a two year deal and for some reason, the performance bonus of 2% is being included as part of the pay rise - now to me, a performance bonus is not a salary increase as a performance bonus is not guaranteed (ok it is this year, but not next!).

As the pay deal is not all being paid in one lump, it should be treated the same as a bank does with interest rates, i.e. APR'd as the 8.5% isn't payable all in one go.

I have calculated how much better off I will be - over the course of the 2 year deal, I will be around £1100 better off, but with what we are getting in year one, just around about £500 better off.

Crew need to step back from the 8.5% figure and work out for themselves how it compares for the 2005 deal and then the 2006 seperately.

Not sure how I will vote yet, need to seriously think about this one as striking isn't something I would want to do :uhoh:

[ABird747]

Wow, sounds like easyjet are playing sneaky sneaky by going around the unions and speaking directly to the staff.

My advice, from having been involved directly in negotiating pay deals for my colleagues at BA is to listen to your unions and use your common sense.

One big tip though is to remain united, both with your fellow cabin crew and your colleagues in the wider organisation.

[Getoutofmygalley]

Wow, sounds like easyjet are playing sneaky sneaky by going around the unions and speaking directly to the staff

I don't think AH intended it to be sneaky, having met the man he seems rather genuine - unlike RW his predecessor.

Whilst easyJet have put their opinion accross to the crew, the union can still do the same - except, we are still awaiting to hear from the union.

AH wants the talks resolved ASAP (well yes he would, wouldn't he) but he does seem quite genuine when he says that it is embarassing that we have been kept waiting 7 months for this pay rise.

When the T&G do finally get their notifications out to us, then we can look objectively at both sides of the arguement, but until then, we can't do a thing :uhoh:

[ABird747]

OK, they may not be playing sneaky with you per se, but if a union has a collective bargaining agreement with the employer, it should be the union that the company goes to in matters like this.

[Getoutofmygalley]

ABird747

The company and union have been sitting around the table, they have had a few meetings, the last I believe was at the beginning of last week.

The T&G have not yet written to it's members with the proposals from easyJet management, which is one of the reasons why AH wrote to the crews. The T&G did release a press release last week saying that crews were to be balloted for strike action, but as yet we haven't had a dickybird from the union.

I just want to see what the union has to say about the offer so I can compare it to AH's words then I can make an informed decision. What I don't like to see is the headline of a press release from my union saying "EASYJET ON COURSE FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION" when they haven't yet consulted the membership for opinions as yet :(

[Dolley]

Well, if you think Andrew Harrison is genuine or not is obviously a personal opinion. I met the guy and think he's a typical politician and that's how I regard his letter/email as well. Actually, one of the reasons why I'm quite upset is this letter and how it's worded. On the otherhand, maybe I should give him the benifit of the doubt. Having him met once certainly doesn't mean that I know him and I will try very hard not to let my personal feelings influence my decision making on something as important as striking.


However, fact is, that the flight crew have most defenitly got a better deal:

Oct 2006 basic pay for cabin crew 3.5%, for flight crew 4%
Oct 2006 sector pay for cabin crew 3.5%, for flight crew 6%
Oct 2007 basic pay for cabin crew 3%, for flight crew 4%
Oct 2007 sector pay for cabin crew 3%, for flight crew 4%

Yes, we get that bonus that counts for 2% in 2006 and maybe again in 2007, but so does the flight crew get a bonus of (this is were I'm not sure about the numbers anymore) 5% as long as they've been with the company for 3 years. On top of that they're getting paid lots more into their pension as part of the deal.

And I think that's what the unions are complaining about...that the flight crew gets such a better deal than us...which doesn't seem fair to me either!
But I guess, now it's just time to sit back, relax, and wait what the unions have to say.

[Dolley]

OK, they may not be playing sneaky with you per se, but if a union has a collective bargaining agreement with the employer, it should be the union that the company goes to in matters like this.


easyjet claims that they are allowed to propose to us directly because around 500 employees out of 2000 are not a member of the union. But I agree, I think it's sneaky and wrong! The reason why I'm a member of the union is that I want them to represent me as I reckon they know better about what's going on than I do! I really believe everything that comes from the company right now is propaganda....for their pay-rise offer and against the union -but again in very subtle and how you put it so nicely 'sneaky' ways.