Easyjet Scrap 6/3 pattern

[G-TTIC]

Oh, and don't forget the great prizes up for grabs in our fabulous YSL incentive. Win it and you're guaranteed to be loved and adored by all of us.

Regards,

G-TTIC
Assistant Cabin Crew Manager
London Gatwick

Follow our lead

PS - We don't really care that the most asked for YSL product is never stocked - as long as you sell lots of other stuff.

[orangetree]

If you want get any headway on the random rostering thing you would need Unite to get very smart and very quickly. I wish you all the very best of luck but one of the big problems is that I think the 6/3 pattern is not an agreement, merely a 'protocol' hence can be ripped up at their behest. The Easyjet definition of 'protocol' would be something like: 'document suggesting empowerment but effectively meaning nothing and able to be scrapped when it suits by he/she who must be obeyed'. I believe TM is only the scapegoat here. Have a look behind her at the Firstchav massive. Quite a little love-in going on there.

[Virginia]

I feel for you. I'm Ex easyJet crew. I hated it when I was there and was constantly exhausted and would cry from tiredness at the end of my 6th in a row, 4 sector, 12 hour days.

At my base the managers were so uncaring, out of 9 of them, only 1 was friendly and actually seemed to give a damn about her group. I was sick of being forced to sell sell sell, cleaning up after chavs on every sector and counting the bars and money in a rush as the long promised computers never materialised! There was one Manager in particular at the largest base (I think) let's just call her B. She made several crew cry and she was always very cold and had a sour look on her face!

Well the grass is greener on the other side. Ok no airline is perfect but...there are a lot of airlines which treat their crew better. I have friends at easyJet who have moved onto other airlines and are much happier.

Most of the crew I worked with were lovely and a real credit to the airline. It's a shame that easyJet take you for granted. I thought things were improving with the crew designed uniform. Obviously not. The airline is going to to cutting off their nose to spite their face when all their great crew leave and they are stuck with a bunch of temps who have just left school.

[G-TTIC]

If B is who I think she is, she's not a manager anymore, rather one of these new fangled "line trainers".

[Virginia]

I think I would cry if I had B as my trainer

She was on my flight once doing a check flight on a new joiner-she was terrifying. She's awful to pax as well. Really abrupt and stern. Remind me how she got to be so senior again?

[G-TTIC]

Goodness only knows, but ex-OPMs BE, LS, AB, SG are now line trainers. CF, LH and RB are now "Assistant Cabin Crew Managers" reporting to a new Cabin Crew Manager who in turn reports to the elusive MB who is now "Regional Cabin Crew Manager".

[girtbar]

I've noticed in that wonderful piece of motivational drool that comes from Lee every so often that poor old DTM is included and expected to sell sell sell for the YSL incentive. If I was in the DTM crew room and i read that i think i would have thrown the computer so far off the wall as to hit bloody Lee in the head!

His throw a piece of shortbread, nuts, muffin down with a drink whether or not the pax asks for it or not and charge them for it just shows how management get selected!

Its just the same up north that some of the rudest crew i have ever encountered have ended up looking after us. I do of course use that term very loosely!

[enay73]

I used to work for easyjet and I must admit that all of this moaning about the company should stop here to be honest. I am now working for another company which our roster is totally different now. I do get my roster on the 23rd of the month and I do not know what I am doing for the next month till the day will come out. People do have the opportunity to get a chance to bid are quite lucky and believe me at the end of the day every airline in this world do whatever they like.
I don't think that easyjet is a very bad place to work for and I have to admit that at least you still have positive things.
I know that you are doing even 4 secs everyday but at least is a very friendly place to work for.
I shouldn't complain so much because there other people out there with more strict rules and bad condition than you.
This is not a reply to wind anyone up, it's just my common sense to say that you are still treated very well and I am sure easyjet wont do anything wrong and go against to anyone and make feel people unhappy.

Enay

[G-TTIC]

It's not a race to the bottom here, surely we have the right to maintain our working conditions?

I am sure easyjet wont do anything wrong and go against to anyone and make feel people unhappy.

Must have been a long time since you left.

[Lauderdale]

It's so typical that there are always people (and quite a few of them!) who benchmark themselves against the lowest standard outthere. Rather than aspiring to much better T&C's that ultimately will benefit companies in the long run.

It just feeds that awful managerial monster called "..dont like it, leave..."

Aspire to work like other Nothern European carriers, that way your job will be more respected and ultimately will give you the credit(s) you deserve....

[Norman Stanley Fletcher]

At the risk of interrupting a full rant against easyJet, may I take you back to the subject of the thread. My question is this - are you all going to sit back and let this happen or are you actually going to fight for fixed pattern rostering? I do not wish to be rude, but ultimately if you do nothing then everything will happen to you - it is that simple. The bottom line is that your future is in your own hands. Fight this and you will win - do nothing and you will just be left whining on forums like this about how bad the line trainers are. The choice is yours and the clock is ticking.

[airshowpilot]

I agree with NSF. Now's the time to unite and be strong, act now and you will win this fight. Are you all union members? If not, ask yourself why not!

[G-TTIC]

With any luck the majority of us CC posting here are Union members, the real problem lies with those not so motivated to make their voices heard, particularly those on fixed term contracts. While these people are eligible for reduced fees, it's a real challenge convincing them to sign up.

Various reasons
- Might not be here in a few months so why bother?
- Might affect the decision to keep them on (that's the perception).
- Don't want to pay the £6 monthly fee since they're paying for everything else. (For info, those on FTCs have to pay for uniform, hotel on training, ID referencing, all within the space of three months).

[diesel36]

Please dont think that all of us that are on fixed term are all school leavers and havent got a clue what were doing.

Think again a lot of us have been flying for a few years now, and have asked for our union membership to come across to easy.

One of the reasons which attracted me to easy was the 6/3 pattern so if it goes to a ballot then i shall be voting for it to stay.

That is one problem that im starting to notice, when were mentioned its

"oh those fixed term ", were crew doing the same job as you, please remember that...

[G-TTIC]

I do apologise and by no means wish to tar everybody with the same brush, but the majority of crew I've flown with who have been recruited on a fixed term basis have been of the younger variety and often quite reluctant to join the union.

[Dolley]

I have been speaking to our Union rep this morning and he said to email him. The more emails he gets with an opinion on the proposed roster changes the more he can do.
So go out and spread the word....and email your reps!

[diesel36]

G-TTIC apology accepted just getting boring now with all this oh your fixed contract.. its new to easy but not to the world of aviation.. not pointing the finger at you...

We all started at some point some of us to far to remember,

I do agree a lot of them are very young, but i do know some young ones that are good, a couple of my friends are at lgw... must catch up on the gossip with them..lol

I hope i get kept on as 99% of the time its a pleasure to go to work..

Lets just make sure we keep the 6-3 pattern...

[girtbar]

Dolley good for you!!

How many people on this and the easyjet forum have actually taken the initiative to email the reps in their bases to let their feelings known?

How many crew sit and moan about things in the back galley but actually do nothing to help themselves or get their voice/opinion heard?

How many crew moan about a change that is made but never bring it to their base manager, then wonder why the base managers think that the changes have been taken well because no ones complained?

We have for far too long sat on our hairy (well mine needs a trim) asses and watched our T&C's get eroded. We've jumped up and down in the back galley but we have failed to moan constructively in the right channels then try to blame everyone but ourselves when the result we want is lost.

Join the Union, email your reps and base management at your disgust at this proposed plan. Tell them where the problems lay ie get the whole rostering/crewing dept a kick in the goolies and get them funded better!!

Perhaps then TM might think twice about steam rolling over the cabin crew at every opportunity and me might get this fantastic little airline back to the good old days of happy contented crew!!

[orange1]

I'm in the union and have not had an email from them. I will be emailing my rep when I return from leave. Sorry to change the subject but why have the Pulse results not been made available to us is it because they were so bad they are doing damage control and trying to fudge the results?

[londoneasyjetboi]

Good or Too Long\Too Much??

Dearest Union reps

In response to TM's recent email regarding moving to flexible roster pattern, I would like to inform you, the Union and ultimately the Company of my TOTAL AND UTTER DISGUST at what is being suggested by those in LaLa Land. I am in agreement with the Company that things have to be done to combat the problems caused by fuel prices but where I end that agreement is when all the cost cutting measures have to be born through Cabin Crew, Flight Deck and Passengers.

A short list to prove this follows. These are all cost cutting plans that have been or are going to be introduced:
- Single Engine Taxi in (more work for FD)
- Single Engine Taxi Out (LGW STN Trial) (More work for FD)
- Use of Ground Power where possible (More work for FD, puts CC and pax in an uncomfortable working environment in 30°C+ Cabins)
- Use of only 1 a/c Pack on Ground (see previous point)
- Reduction of dry stores onboard (CC cannot offer pax what they want all the time)
- Flying slower (more work for CC, FD and worse for pax as there is less buffer in schedules for delays)
- Baggage charges
- Speedy Boarding
- Excess baggage charges (last three points are moving towards a 'nickle-and-dime' mentality instead of just raising fares, which people will ultimately pay if all airlines charge passengers what it costs to fly them, rather than them feeling that they are getting charged for everything, which makes the company look bad in the eyes of Passengers)
- Moving CC to 'Flexible' (read Random) rostering.

The final point is where I take most offense. TM's email stated that 6/3 rostering in smaller bases is inefficient, this point I can accept, and things should be changed at the those smaller bases, DTM especially to try and save their jobs, and make them take random rostering or risk having their bases closed. Another reason she stated was that on some days there is a surplus crew and on others there is a shortfall in crew. I would like the Company to state why this is MY problem that there are not enough crew on each day, which brings me to another point as to why this excuse is not a good one. EasyJet has the same amount of aircraft flying each day so each day there should be the same amount of people available to work. It is not as though on one day there are all aircrafts flying and then the next there are 20 aircrafts less causing a surplus amount of crew. Furthermore, if it is the case that there is not enough crew in one group, then move crew to another group. We get to keep out fixed pattern and the Company has the right crew in the right group. It is not as though they don't do it anyway. I have changed groups 3 times during my time at easyJet, after my probation, when I got promoted to SCCM and when I transferred to ***. All of these I did not have a choice. I didn't mind so much changing groups. I still had the fixed Roster. This is one big reason why people choose to work for easyJet. From a lifestyle point of view, its the only good thing, because during the 6 days on, I am worked to the bone, but at least I always have 3 days off, and I know exactly when those days off are going to be. If Tina Milton and her cronies are trying to deliberately p**s people off, then they have succeeded.


She also stated that moving to flexible rostering 'gives Rostering a better opportunity to balance duty hours and associated workload in order to better manage high hours and the losses in sector pay and commission that can result'. Rostering IS the main problem as to why crew are getting HCT's, being moved to other bases to operate and having some crew working 100 block hours a month and others only working 30. To move the blame for this level of incompetence to CC is totally unacceptable. I have personally seen and operated with crew from another base when I know that someone of similar group and rank has been sent to the other base to work. Why couldn't the said 2 crew members remain in their respective bases and remove the costs of hotel and positioning and as TM put it, 'Alleviate the disruption of taking people away from their home base to operate'. A big reason for this is that within this organisation, many times the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

Moving back to my initial point of all cost cutting measures are coming from everywhere except hangar 89 and easyLand. The only thing that I have seen the 'Powers that Be' (ie Management) to help reduce costs this year is to have their pay frozen. The only problem with this is that is only Upper Management and they all got offered share options first to cover the money they would have lost otherwise. I would place money on the bet that Our Fearless Leader Andy Harrison will jump ship as soon as the share price starts moving North again. Now I don't think that is an acceptable form of Management that works well with the 5 Pillars or whatever this months brainwashing feature is.

Who thinks of these ideas? I mean 5 Pillars and 'Low Cost With Care and Convenience'. I will tell you who, one of the 533 people in easyJet who are in a Management Position. That works out to be nearly 1 Manager for 7 Cabin Crew. How is this cost effective? Some of them I understand. Like we need 8 Senior Crewing Officers, 25 Operations Officers and 17 Crewing Officers. But is there any need for a Technical Library Supervisor or a Crew Planning Analyst? Surely the Crew Planning Manager should be able to analyse his or own Plans and does not someone else to do it at a cost of probably GBP30000 per year? Or the Regional Cabin Crew Managers? Why?? The now Cabin Crew Managers are doing exactly the same roles as they were when they where Base Cabin Crew Managers, there is just an extra step in there in the Chain of Command before it reaches TM? Maybe that is why? She is trying introduce more and more management to move her further and further away from the people who she is in charge of? The biggest number of employees in easyJet, the Cabin Crew.

I believe that all those who are employed in a management position on the list that is available on inside easyjet entitled 'Management Structure' should have to write a formal letter proving why they are an asset to easyJet rather than just another level of Management. On the easyJet website under Company Overview, they state the following:

'easyJet favours an informal company culture with a very flat management structure, which eliminates unnecessary and wasteful layers of management. All office-based employees are encouraged to dress casually. Ties are banned - except for pilots! Remote working and 'hot-desking' have been characteristics of easyJet since the beginning.'

EasyJet's management structure is now anything but flat. If even only 10 managers were removed from their positions or their positions were no longer viable, the company could save nearly half a million Pounds a year. I am all for cost cutting and trying to increase profits, but where the cuts are coming from are not balanced. Cabin Crew, Flight Deck and Passengers are the ones that losing the most or on the flip side, putting the most into the company to achieve their goals. If ever some of the Managers left their Ivory Towers in LTN, and came down and saw what we had to deal with and the way we have already cut nearly as much as possible, they might see the light and realise that just because they are managers they are safe. There is no need for managers when there is no one to manage. If the Company is trying to get people to leave easyJet then they are going the right way about it. The last 2 years or so have seen this Company nose dive. I thought the summer of 2005 was bad... that was paradise compared to what it is like working here now.

Although there are many more points raised in here than the just the removal of 6/3, and most are outside the control of the Union, the 6/3 pattern is very important to alot of people and we need to fight to keep it, if some people do not want the 6/3 anymore, then they should be able to choose to go off it, the Company would like that. But we should ALL fight to keep it. It is high time that those in LaLa Land take responsibility for the problems they have either caused or chose to ignore which have now compounded into bigger issues.

I know this is long, but I hope it does not fall on deaf ears and some, if not all of it is shown to the company in our fight/negotiation. I am passionate about my job, but I am also passionate about my life.


This was sent to the The Union, I was tempted to send it too AH and TM as well, but thought I better wait

Good luck everyone!