British Airways - CC Industrial Relations Mk V

[TorC]

L337

Originally Posted by L337

Whilst everyone lines up to trash BA Cabin Crew, what almost all outsiders, and allot of BA employees chose to forget is how extraordinarily badly Cabin Crew in BA are managed. As a BA pilot married to CC I get to see it first hand. It is staggeringly bad, and to some extent BA are reaping what they have sowed. Sadly they are also appallingly led by BASSA as well.

All of this has led to a workforce, badly demotivated, and unhappy in almost every conceivable way. You bet changes need to happen, but it would be nice to see BA move away from the mushroom school of management.

All this finger pointing is very easy, but at the same time a finger needs to be pointed at BA management as well. They have not covered themselves in glory.

Sorry L337, but I don't quite understand your point.

I'm CC, and don't feel badly managed at all. I'm not demotivated or unhappy.

I do kind of get what you say about "mushroom management", but in a company the size of BA I think it'd be very hard to have a touchy-feely style, or at least to have it feel genuine, if that's what you are alluding to.

Whilst BA may not be ideal, I have worked under far worse conditions at other carriers. In one instance, I was micro-managed to the point of depression, with my every move being challenged, resulting in far less achievment than should have been the case.

I think a lot depends on the individual employees expectations. For me, BA provides me with what I need to do my job. Admittedly, the tools are not always perfect, but then I was employed partly due to my ability to find work-arounds and think on my feet. It's perfectly easy for me to feedback problems, and I have, in most cases achieved positive outcomes.

As to my day-to-day management, well again, for me, no problems there either. I have regular contact with my manager and have recieved some excellent support, both professionally and personally. It did take a while for this relationship to develope, but given the nature of this job, and the fact that we are a very large and quite a "distant" (ie: not in an office, at the same desk everyday) workforce, that's hardly surprising.

BA makes information readily and easily available to me via various chanels, yet I find that some of the unhappiest people I work with are those who seem pleased to announce that they don't read ess mails, CC News or BA News, and/or never speak to their manager.

I suppose that at the end of the day, it's a two-way street. Some of us have read the highway code, others haven't.

[617sqn]

Cabin crew managers

I think you'll find,that for obvious reasons,cabin crew will be unwilling to discuss, on a public forum ,the finer points of their managers' skills.

[flybymerchant]

How Can People Continue To Trust Bassa?

Fantastic post Desertia (2509), very eloquently written, succinct and factual.

Your post clearly wasn't written in anger, and must have taken a not inconsiderable amount of your free-time.

Your post also clearly highlights a sticking point in this whole debate, and asks the million dollar question, "HOW CAN PEOPLE CONTINUE TO TRUST BASSA WITH THEIR LIVELIHOODS WHEN THEY ARE AGAIN AND AGAIN PROVEN TO BE DECEITFUL LIARS?"

What bothers me is that, for all of your considerable & considerate efforts, your post will be disregarded and blocked out, fingers-in-ears stylee.

I'm afraid we both know that MissM, A Lurker/New Poster/PiB (whichever one he's using today), etc will continue to refuse to look at the man in the mirror and defend BASSA's lies.

Have alarm bells not started to ring yet? Is it not even a LITTLE strange how NO-ONE apart from the drones is on BASSA's side?!?! Normally in such high-profile cases opinion is divided as there are normally two sides to MOST arguments.

It's not just the BA management, it's Every single work group in BA that is against BASSA.....oh, yes, and the insignificant majority (the fare-paying passengers, the wider public, the media/press, and it would appear the judiciary system (courts))!

I don't understand how people can be so naive that, they continue to wilfully inflict job uncertainty on colleagues, avoidable but potentially catastrophic damage to the company that pays everyone's wages, and prolonged misery on MILLIONS of loyal customers who are being used as nothing more than expendable pawns in BASSA's selfish and disgracefully transparent HIJACKING of our once-great flag carrier, British Airways.

It would appear that no amount of sensible discussion and reasoned argument can open people's eyes and help prevent them from flushing their careers down the toilet, so it's not hard to see why 'imposition' was so unavoidable and why subsequent industrial action was so painfully obvious, to everyone with a brain, especially Willie.

That's why he has prepared for BASSA's every childish move with such reassuring skilfulness and why he now has the watching World's unconditional support in each step he now takes to rid British Airways of the hateful, selfish, work-shy, greedy, malicious, vindictive and deceitful few that so many voted for to conduct their business and represent them.

Wake up, smell the napalm, be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves and join the PCCC.

I have emailed the head of Flight Operations to ask BA to recognise the Professional Cabin Crew Council and as a pilot have volunteered my services to our customers any place, any time to help try to rebuild bridges; I look forward to working with/for many of you in March, let's get rid of the rot and MAKE THIS COMPANY GREAT ONCE AGAIN!!

[email protected]

[Crash_and_Burn]

Bassa/Unite have gone public and advised that they will NOT be striking at Easter... I wonder if the members were consulted on that???

Looks like someone with a PR brain might have managed to get through to these muppets!

CB

[TFlexMax80]

A bit late to get the PR machine working, they lost this particular battle over a month ago...

[TorC]

Originally Posted by Crash_and_Burn

Bassa/Unite have gone public and advised that they will NOT be striking at Easter... I wonder if the members were consulted on that???

Looks like someone with a PR brain might have managed to get through to these muppets!

CB

Just a vague attempt on unite/bassa/cc89s side to muddy the waters and cause more confusion I think.

So, the strike won't be at Easter ..... when will it be?

more here: The Press Association: BA crews will not strike at Easter

[Boondocker]

PWC Audit

If I might enter the fray to ask a question?

Why didn't BA use the detail of the PWC audit to convince the doubters that BASSA's 'proposal' was way off the mark? A breakdown and explanation of why the figures didn't stack up could have put paid to BASSA's 'we offered significant savings but they've been ignored' mantra.

As a (not badly managed just not managed at all) crew member, I would have been extremely interested.

[pvmw]

Bassa/Unite have gone public and advised that they will NOT be striking at Easter... I wonder if the members were consulted on that???

Looks like someone with a PR brain might have managed to get through to these muppets!

That is a great pity. This boil needs lancing, permanently.

Now, the travelling public will be left in the position of not knowing if/when BASSA will decide it can get away with industrial action. Unfortunately the result will be that they will continue to use other, more reliable, carriers.

Continued uncertainty is just about the worst thing that could happen.

[TorC]

Originally Posted by Boondocker

If I might enter the fray to ask a question?

Why didn't BA use the detail of the PWC audit to convince the doubters that BASSA's 'proposal' was way off the mark? A breakdown and explanation of why the figures didn't stack up could have put paid to BASSA's 'we offered significant savings but they've been ignored' mantra.

As a (not badly managed just not managed at all) crew member, I would have been extremely interested.

The doubters don't "do" detail!

[Two-Tone-Blue]

Another Linky to Sky News

The assurance over Easter must be a great comfort to many passengers, and will undoubtedly engender massive Public support for the Unions involved.

Please excuse me if my enthusiasm is a little muted, as my next flight is booked a couple of weeks AFTER Easter. As pvmw just said, the uncertainty continues, and I can't get through to Virgin on the 'phone as they are experienced very heavy demand.

[Fuel_on_Mixture_Rich]

...and my flights are just before easter!

Still, here's hoping Unite will be bankrupted by then.

[Boondocker]

T or C

The doubters don't "do" detail!

No, sure enough. But there are some of us that could have used the 'detail' as a counter argument to the 'doubters.'
It may also have forced BASSA to respond and/or enabled it's membership to ask some uncomfortable questions.

[Nomoresteerage]

Bassa/Unite have gone public and advised that they will NOT be striking at Easter... I wonder if the members were consulted on that???

Looks like someone with a PR brain might have managed to get through to these muppets!

CB

Isn't that because they can't unless they go for 15 days of IA.

Ballot closes 22nd Feb.
4 weeks to start strike - up to 22nd Mar

Easter is 2nd to 5th April - so would need to be 15 days of strike action as a minimum to include Easter.

NMS

SLF - who would but a ticket to fly in support of BA during a strike period.

[TorC]

Originally Posted by Boondocker

T or C

No, sure enough. But there are some of us that could have used the 'detail' as a counter argument to the 'doubters.'
It may also have forced BASSA to respond and/or enabled it's membership to ask some uncomfortable questions.

Maybe, but as they were unwilling to believe the PWC figures in general, I doubt (Oh dear, I've just become one!) the detail would have bothered them at all, and the general denial of anything uncomfortable would have continued.

The general gist of the PWC report should have been enough. The breakdown may have included too much detailed information for the public domain.

[Snas]

The general gist of the PWC report should have been enough. The breakdown may have included too much detailed information for the public domain.

This....

Such a report would have included a lot of commercially sensative information, which is why BASSA were asked to sign a non-disclouser agreement, which they refused.

Rival airlines will pay a lot of money to accountants to simply speculate as to the financial details of their competition, the very idea that BA would make anything other than a general overview publicially available simply isnt an option. - For all the right reasons.

[Desertia]

The general gist of the PWC report should have been enough. The breakdown may have included too much detailed information for the public domain.

Not to mention that it may have contained some sensitive commercial information.

I see that paragon of delicate industrial negotiation and blatant power seeker McLuskey is at it again:

"But this can only happen if BA management wake up and realise that treating their greatest asset - skilled and professional employees - as enemies is the road to ruin. You can't fly planes on management machismo."

Funny, then, that hundreds of skilled and professional employees are queuing up to do their jobs, isn't it?

"Once again ... sickening... totally sickening... worse than Hitler..."

Thank You, Dave Spart.

[Andy_S]

Originally Posted by Boondocker

Why didn't BA use the detail of the PWC audit to convince the doubters that BASSA's 'proposal' was way off the mark? A breakdown and explanation of why the figures didn't stack up could have put paid to BASSA's 'we offered significant savings but they've been ignored' mantra.

That assumes that the 'doubters' are willing to listen. Unfortunately, recent history shows that for many CC BASSA's spin machine is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and any information to the contrary must be suspect. After the audit was carried out, a number of BASSA supporters claimed that it couldn't be trusted because PWC were in BA's pocket. That's the sort of mentality you're dealing with. Even now, the more militant CC are criticising BA for turning down the fantastic deal BASSA offered them.........

[hval]

General Elections in May?

I wonder how much discussions have gone on with our current Dictator, sorry, Prime Minister. If the strike is being put off this may point towards elections in May.

This also allows Mr Brown to leave yet another rather nasty gift for the next incumbent Government.

Hval

Edited because I can't get the word Dictator to be strikethrough.

[Desertia]

It's ironic how he's been so quick to make soothing noises to Cadburys employees.

I don't think he wants to risk further anger from the public by showing any sympathy to Loopy Malone and the rest of her reptilian rabble.

[617sqn]

Part time block

Big Brutha
Interesting about the compulsory working during part time.

I seem to remember that call back days were stopped some years ago.
What's in the small print?