bmi redundancies

[crab]

Have just heard on BBC2 biz news that bmi are to shed 1500 jobs.No details except that they are hoping to shed through natural wastage.I would not have thought they could afford to lose more pilots unless a fleet reduction is planned.Apparently this is all part of the inappropriately named blue sky project.Shame we heard it through the media first.

[flyingfrog]

see link for more details:

bbc news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2984658.stm)

[BRISTOLRE]

Anything to do with the "proposed" meger with Virgin, conditional??
By the way, any more news on the tie up BMI/VS or BA/VS? There was a lot of talk of it a few weeks ago, now its all gone silent!

Maybe this report of so many job losses to some is a condition of the merger?

[newswatcher]

Does the 1.5k figure include BMIbaby?

About two months ago, BMIbaby were predicting 3m pax during 2003, up from 700k last year. How will they achieve this with a "reduction" in staff? :confused:

[Simon Montague]

In answer to above points:

At press conference this morning, Sir Michael Bishop insisted there are no ongoing talks with Virgin - he was adamant there was no deal to be done at the moment.

Bishop said job cuts refer to Heathrow-based mainline, not bmibaby

[limpbiscuits]

Maybe most of the staff losses could be from switching from self-handling to using a pax handling agent ? At most other stations Aviance is bmi's h/agent..... what stations remain self handling for bmi? i know MAN for one....

[PAXboy]

BBC article refers to one part of staff savings due to moving pax to automated and on-line/mobile check-in. Natural wastage is a problem as you cannot be sure where the gaps are going to emerge and they may take time to occur. They will, of course, already know their attrition rate and can project forward. With recruitment stopping in many areas, even HR might get the heave-ho? No, of course. not!

Sounds like the usual stuff:
1) Some folks are going.
2) You that are left are now going to work harder
3) Oh yes and remain smiling and happy.
4) Now back to your benches and keep pumping.

[AVIONIQUE]

Bmi management now deny any announcements have been made.Maybe the news got out early!Unions told an explanation on the way fron tim bye (finance director). Could be ok after all.

Have a fax in my mitt from Austin Reid."No intention of axing jobs." goes on "anticipating head count reductions through improved and simplified business processes but we expect these to be accomplished through normal attrition over the 3 to4 year time scale of the project"(blue skies)." Do not envisage compulsory job losses as being required."
Sounds like the journos at the press briefing got carried away with their copy.
large sighs all round.

[Young Paul]

Well, it's still on teletext - which came as a bit of a shock when I got home from work!

ITWSBT soonest!:ooh:

[crab]

There appears to be a slight difference of opinion between Bishop and Austin Reed insofar as Bishop says job losses at LHR mainline and Austin Reed says no jobs will be axed.I seem to recall that Austin Reed said that bmi would not be starting a lo cost airline just before baby was formed.I hope the no jobs being axed is more reliable.Regarding the reporting(and I have very little time for journos)I presume they must have been briefed by somebody at bmi and if the info. supplied was incorrect then the appropriate head should roll as this release has undoubtedly made a lot of people feel even more insecure at a time when morale is not too good.