BA IR issues
 

Well Im still receiving texts from BASSA once a day cliaming that talks have broken down yet recieving ESS emails from management claiming the contrary and BASSA are attempting to distort the truth.
I know who I believe (along with most other crew) however am I somewhat misguided in my judgement?

Hopeful signs from todays pension meeting BA appear to be moving towards the union proposal. If the pensions issue is solved for the BASSA ballot will this change the result?

They shut the BASSA offices down at LHR and LGW at 1700 today. At lhr they were escorted out to shouts of vote yes and chants from around 60 crew.

Ok guys i'm crapping myself now!!! I'm in LGW SF and put my application in about 3 weeks ago! I've still not heard anything and have sent emails on ESS as to my application but to no avail! My next plan was to go and see them in person but having been in twice (inc today when i had just flown trans-atlantic and was shattered) and both times no one was there!!! Now they've been given the boot where do i stand if they walk out? Am i right in thinking that i have to go in to work? pls guys some advice!!!!! (soz bout the poor formatting and no paragraphing but im stupidly tired! :zzz:

Paxy XX

Was it an application to BASSA or Amicus, I remember when I did mine for Amicus and it took a few weeks before I recieved anything. I am sure there will be some form of contacting BASSA soon enough. I would check the BASSA notice board that is just past security on the 3rd floor opposite the briefing rooms.

Why did BA close the BASSA Offices? Amicus too? They didn't have to go that far...

If I want to join next week, is it too late?

I want to vote YES. Anyway...as long as we make 700m pounds per year, I don't see any reason for any measures. And LGW hourly pay increase to 2,41 instead of breakfast allowance hahahaha....very funny BA ;)

L.

yeah it is BASSA....I just don't know who is best to contact! Any1 know wot position i'd be in if we went on strike and we weren't in the union?

If BASSA got your application before today you are covered and can legally strike. There is all the info on the bassa website. www.bassa.co.uk.

Might mean we get a few more flights away on time now that the crew only get a ringing tone when they ring the office to complain.:)

It's not the first time this has happened, I doubt it took the BASSA reps by surprise.

CC89 (AMICUS) today presented BASSA with an open letter, which has also been published on the BASSA website.

It basically says that they too are unhappy with their dealing with BA IFS management. Also that they support BASSA's stance. And that if BA do not enter more 'meaningful' talks with them they will have to instigate more 'formal' discussions with BA.

The letter finishes off by asking all CC89 members to ensure that they have provided up-to-date address details to the CC89 office.

Now CC89 has never had a history of militancy and is always been viewed as 'managements best mate' by BASSA. So things MUST be bad!!

Do you think that CC89s non-confrontational approach to IR has led to them being viewed as 'managements best mate' by BASSA? After all, BASSAs view has been that you are either with them or against them, and they've spent years slating CC89 in their 'news' publications by the security point in Compass. I've always found it telling that the CC89 members are generally calm-tempered independent thinkers, compared to some BASSA members who if they weren't causing aggro at work would be gathering outside the houses of suspected paedophiles with badly written placards.

It's also interesting that CC89 have decided that a number of issues BASSA want to strike for don't stand up because you've already agreed to them. Unfortunately that view won't get far as rational thought is the enemy of BASSA (lets face it they've run a strike ballot based on a show of hands of less than 2% of their membership) and now they are hunkering down with their siege mentality blaming everyone else for their misfortune yet expecting their support. This self-delusional stance seems to be feeding itself on their own bulletin board too judging by the bit of it I read last week.

PAX Agent and everybody else:
I do not know about BASSA's office, however Amicus office is opened thursday and friday. For urgent matters there's an on-call mobile number for both unions.
If nobody answers at LGW BASSA office you can always contact their LHR office.

Having said that, I contacted Amicus last week for an important issue that has nothing to do with the current events, and they left me a message last thursday to call them back which I did, in fact I called thur & fri numerous times, and nobody has called back or acknowledged my messages ever since :* As if anything else other than these talks didn't matter anymore now :mad: very professional indeed :*

CM - don't think you know what you are talking about. joint statement from amicus /bassa below.

BASSA and AMICUS 15 December 2006
AMICUS HAVE ASKED BASSA TO PUBLISH THEIR LETTER TO THEIR MEMBERS. THEY HAVE ALSO ASKED ALL THEIR MEMBERS ENSURE THAT cc89 HAVE THE CORRECT ADDRESSES FOR THEM. THEY ALSO WANT IT KNOWN THEY FULLY SUPPORT BASSA's POSITION ON ALL OUR POINTS OF CONFLICT.


Dear Colleagues,

As you are aware your union posted a list of failures to agree and impasses at the most recent special NSP held on the 9th November 2006. The following list of issues affects ALL CREW across ALL BASES served by Amicus.

Breakdown in Industrial Relations

For the past year your representatives have battled with the employer at every day forums where unreasonable behaviour has been the rule of thumb; imposition sweeps away any chance of discussion, compromise or mutual agreement. AMICUS find it increasingly difficult to engage with BA on any points which are controversial, costly or both.

Merger of Post and Pre ‘97 Main Crew Pay Scales

Amicus, as your union, has addressed this issue with British Airways at each and every pay negotiation since 1997. We support our colleagues on the new entrant pay scales and believe that the benefits of the new entrant starter rates have borne fruit for BA.

It is our view that with the first group of crew directly affected by these scales, having now reached the top incremental pay point, it is appropriate for us to address this issue on behalf of our members once more.

Purser - Junior Swap on 747

This initiative, we believe, speaks for itself and the ramifications for the future are catastrophic. We believe this is the beginning of an initiative by British Airways to remove all but two of the supervisory crew onboard their aircraft.

Promotional opportunities are being removed for our members in BA and this we find unacceptable. A clear example of this can be seen in the imposition of a Purser in charge of the A 321 on EuroFleet.

Preferred Bar Operators

This is a thinly veiled attempt to dismantle our current seniority and bid system. We know from feedback that this system is the preferred method of determining your work position on board.

Your agreement allows you to have an input towards your onboard working position and we are not willing to sit back and allow your agreements to be eroded.

Will this be where British Airways stop YOU from having a choice?

Manchester Base closure

We do not believe appropriate consultation or involvement of the TU side was observed in the decision making process when BA chose to close the Manchester base.

With the sell off of BA Connect which part of the business is next? Gatwick? Heathrow EuroFleet? Heathrow Worldwide?


900 hours

We are all affected by this issue. The increase of unusable 24 XX has resulted in the loss of earnings and roster stability for our members.

BA was fully aware of the introduction of this piece of legislation yet appears to have taken very few steps to prepare for the impact this has had on our crew community.

Downroute report time

This issue affects YOU the cabin crew directly due to the increase in security checks/procedures post 9/11 that now result in our reporting anything from 1.5 hours to 2 hours before departure. BA has identified that the cost of this increased time being adsorbed by you, the crew, could amount to anything between 6 and 14 million pounds per annum in saved payments.

YOUR cabin crew agreement state clearly that you are on duty one hour prior to the scheduled departure time.

EG300

All parties accept that this process is not working to its fullest potential. We believe it is being used as a disciplinary tool as opposed a supportive mechanism to improve attendance.

Fixed Links

The trial that was conducted at Heathrow approx 2 years ago was proving unsuccessful, and was suspended due to the imposition of a single purser in charge of the A 321. Crew’s refreshment breaks were affected and now it is being revisited as a cost saving to BA. We believe this proposal will contravene certain aspects of the working time directive.


As you can see the list of disagreements is not exhaustive but at the present time BA has resisted all of the approaches made by your representatives to resolve these issues. In conclusion we would like to offer BA the opportunity to enter into meaningful and productive discussions to resolve the issues mentioned above. Should BA fail to respond to this request within 7 days from the date of this letter, we will have no option but to consult with you in a more formal manner.

If you have moved or your details have changed, please let the offices know so we can keep you up to date with developments.


Yours sincerely,



Amicus Cabin Crew Committee.

PAX AGENT
Dont worry i am sure you will be enrolled and will be able to vote yes!
it is confirmed that our BASSA reps have been escorted out of LGW and LHR BA premises, with the full support and applauds of their members present!
I think this situation is unacceptable
strike is inevtable! as most of us as BA crew will vote yes!!
let's bring it on

Just For Info...
 

TO: All cabin crew

We recognise that this is a very difficult time for cabin crew and it is important that you have the opportunity to air and share your views, ask questions, and get honest and open answers from me and my team about any issues that relate to the strike ballot.

From 15:30 today, Thursday 21 December, you can do this on a new online Cabin Crew Strike Ballot Discussion Forum.

This forum gives you the opportunity to ask a question or air an opinion. Other crew members can add their views to yours, creating a discussion 'thread'.

My team and I will be looking to answer your questions online and contribute to the discussion. We will be watching out for new posts during office hours seven days a week during the Christmas period, and beyond. We will answer as many questions as we can, and as soon as we can, recognising that this will depend on how busy the bulletin board gets.

This forum is available for all cabin crew to use. Common sense rules apply – we will not censor content because we do not like what is being said, but we will remove posts that are defamatory or abusive.

The forum is easy to use, and can be accessed via ESS from home or overseas, as well as in the Compass Centre.

To get to the forum, either:

Log into ESS with your BSAFE password and follow the "Cabin crew strike ballot forum" link in the Crew section). If the link above does not work use https://my.baplc.com/login.do

Don't use the ESS forum
 

BA managements are obviously ****ing themselves by setting up this ESS cabin crew strike ballot forum, BASSA has its own forum for its members on www.bassa.co.uk the ESS forum is biased and has only been set up to try and Brainwash crew into thinking Simon-Telling-Lies and Mark Lotsa-Hassell have the crews best interest at heart, they have not, If they are committed to working with the trade unions why have they kicked BASSA out of the Crew report centres? If you could work on an hourly rate, which will mean a huge pay drop, imaging you would have to work around a 12 hour day just to earn the same ammount as a Lunch allowance, If you don't stand up to Willie Walsh that is what his next plan is, Dont let him get away with it. VOTE YES

And there was me thinking BA had dropped the hourly rate proposal. Still if it was anything like the SFG hourly rate of 2.40ish per hour you'd have to work almost 3.5 hours to earn the same as a breakfast allowance, which is, ooh, a little less than the time it would take to do a CDG and back that would earn you a breakfast allowance. If your maths is that good I'll have 16 beers and 4 red wines from the crew purchase and I'll leave the 17p I owe you in your drop file.

public support
 

Guys,

I have read the pros and cons of possible industrial action being discussed on here. If you want to win you will need public support and the backing of your passangers. This is crucial. From what I have seen of your pay scales you are doing quite well. I am a cop and earn £2000 per month. My brother in law is a fire fighter and gets £1800. We do 40hr weeks, work nights and weekends. We are both aware that we get paid more than nurses who have to endure dealing with total nightmare people in casualty departments all over the UK. If you were to strike I believe you will not get public support at this time.

I am not advocating you let your management walk all over you but if you strike and loose you could suffer badly. I went out with an LHR WW girl a few years ago. She was intelligent and one of the smartest, quick witted people I know. A fantastic advert for you and your company. She worked hard for her money and deserved it. However, there are many who are envious of your position within the airline industry. You are an elite bunch but I bet the company could fill all you're jobs, with other airlines qualified staff within two weeks. They would not get the same quality that you DO give the company but do you think they really care.

Whatever you decide to do good luck. You will always have my admiration and support thanks to a fantastic time with one of you're colleagues as mentioned above.

Crazy! - do you think striking is actually a better option that actually getting management to hear your views?