Have BA used tact and diplomacy?

Some people have said they will not go the extra mile now as WW has been unfair on us, so that is what WW will get!! Some are also saying it's not in our contracts to smile :hmm:

HiFlyer14
 

I see that you often promote the PCCC on this thread - can you let us know how many crew you have signed up or have 'committed' to joining your organisation?

It would be really refreshing for somebody such as yourself to give us the truth instead of the spin we have had over the last few days

Many thanks

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

I'm smiling now. Interestingly, some passengers have commented that cabin crew during the strike seemed a lot friendlier than normal.

OverFlare,
Absolutely agree with your post.
The ones not going to smile they were not smiling before, are not smiling now and wont be smiling in the future.
How can anyone smile after causing so much pain and probably financial ruin to the company you work for??:ugh:

So, we have one group of cc who want to stop smiling and being extra helpful to customers and another that doesn't. Is anyone seeing a pattern emerging? Any suggestions for an easy way to improve customer service overnight ?

Just back from my trip to a Top Secret destination. In summary:

1. Senior Cabin Crew member had serious doubts about breaking the strike but for reasons various decided to come into work. As it turned out he/she was an absolute star and a credit the Cabin crew community/profession as a whole.

2. Rest of the full timers were top notch, worked their backsides off to cover their own work and keep an eye on the volunteers.

3. Volunteers - both the pilots and others - did their best, everyone got thanked by the passengers on disembarkation.

4. No aggro at all between full timers, volunteers and the operating pilots.....


Oh and a (legal) beer call thrown in for good measure as well, all on a night stop, with the vast majority of the crew turning up.......

Indeed the only p*****r today was meeting a member of the general public who seemed to think all BA flying staff were on strike......BA Press department take note.

Now, remind me again why we should invite the malcontents on the various airport roundabouts to come flying with us again?

Totally agree...it seems blatantly obvious that the crew who give 100% and 'go the extra mile' at work (even including smiling (BASSA restrictions notwithstanding)) are the very same crew who have gone that extra mile over the last few days in a blacked-out crew bus.

These are the employees who have the most to offer going forward, who will most benefit the customers, their fellow employees and the financial viability of their company.

It is these brave and honourable crew members who will no doubt take great pride in boldly but determinedly rebuilding British Airways after this spat is over.

The travelling public and investors alike need to have faith in BA's ability to fly skywards, phoenix-like, from the ashes of this unnecessary and damaging episode.

This is NOT going to happen whilst we are dogged by demonstrably militant, obstructive and lazy/selfish employees who refuse to acknowledge that we work in a SERVICE industry....we serve our customers, to the very best of our ability, we don't hold them hostage and put our wants ahead of their needs, especially when those wants are so unrealistic, unachievable and wholly unfounded. The customer comes first. Whether you and your 70s throwback militia union are having trouble agreeing the finer points of Market-leading Pay protection & World-leading Terms & Conditions (which was on the cards up until last week) is neither here nor there as far as our customers are concerned, they just want the security staff to be gentle, the pilots to fly them safely and expeditiously from A to B, and for the cabin crew to serve them their tomato juice with a smile.....it's one of the things you get paid for, don't demean the rest of your (increasingly) customer-focussed cabin crew colleagues by suggesting that you'd use this unjust, but thankfully unwinable, dispute to offer an even poorer service than before to the people who pay your mortgage and put food on your table....for shame, what WOULD your mother say?!!

We can expect the level of pressure and intimidation from Unite to rise exponentially over the next few days. The militant hotheads from the first wave of strikes are beginning to realise if they don't bully and cajole enough people to support their next strike then they've lost their staff travel for ever!:ooh: Meanwhile they are louding proclaiming that they don't actually need it and imploring BASSA to try to arrange their own special discount ticket scheme with Easyjet and Virgin. As if!

Yes, a large cohesive group negotiating a discount with one airline is known as a 'corporate deal' and it usually depends on an agreed volume of monthly passengers on a single route. And if you are lucky might get 15-20% off the price. Doubtful? I wouldn't hold my breath.

Hi Juan Odeboyse,

As you are one of only a few supporters of BASSA on here, can I ask a few straight questions?

1. Can you point me to where any contract offered in the past 18 months by BA, says you will have a pay cut? Or allowances cut? Or be forced onto New Fleet?

2. WW stated his clear intention to recover the cost of disruption from the IFCE budget, as demonstrated by his last offer, post declaration of strike action, which terminated, as stated at the commencement of IA. What precisely do you hope further strike action will gain for you?

3. BA has issued an ESS message withdrawing ST, and highlighting when strikers can next expect to be paid, just as they said they would a couple of weeks ago. Can you please tell me of ANY statement made by BA which you believe is untrue? Can you please provide the evidence, as statements from BASSA about what will happen have been far from accurate, and I am interested to know the facts, not the rhetoric. You can't plan a future on rhetoric alone, as I'm sure you will agree!

I ask these questions, as someone impacted by the strike action. Whilst it is refreshing to find a BASSA supporter on here again, I am dismayed to see lots of rhetoric, but nothing factual or verifiable. Please could you reassure me and many other concerned BA employees that there is an element of logic and reason in you and your colleagues actions?

Many thanks,

BUG

I love this one!!

Well we seem to be doing quite a good job of doing their job at the moment!:E

Also JO,

you wrote:Can you tell me how the union is safeguarding it's future standing, by playing into WW's hands? At the moment, you have lost a crew member on LH, and got LGW compliments at LHR. That's it. Can you tell me how BASSA's strategy of fight to the death going to help you in the future?

Let's be candid, say you strike for 4 days next. Then what? Crew numbers reporting for duty will steadily increase, as any rational thinker can see. BASSA support will dwindle away to background noise. I would suggest the longer BASSA remain intransigent, the less power it has. As a BASSA supporter, can you tell me how you think BASSA are helping you, and safeguarding your future, given their influence on CC, and their ability to influence the company is being eroded by the day?

Regards,

BUG

If the 50+% of crew choosing to work would just resign from BASSA then the
total membership would fall below 50% and the process of derecognition could start.

That way the company could offer their deal direct to the crew without going through BASSA.

Why don't crew do this and shape their own future?

Why keep paying for a union that is clearly not working in your interests?

I think the issue of union membership and this strike are different. BASSA, love them or hate them, do a lot more than look after and organise strikes. The relationship between BA and BASSA and BASSA and their members needs to be redefined but I really doubt whether it is likely or desirable that the crew are not represented by a union in some way. I suspect it is also unlikely to see the union representing crew to be changed for another one.

Striking crew have pointed out that they are BASSA, well so are the union members who voted no and who are working during the stoppages. Norman Schwarzkopf after Vietnam said he nearly left the US Army bur decided to stay in order to effect change from within. Ultimately this is what must happen with BASSA, its' members must effect a change from within.

Respond please
 

Juan and Bacrewmember, I also am very pleased that you're hear to represent the many striking crew. Thank you for your input. I would, however, love to hear an informative reponse from Juan to BUG's post please? Juan .... if you could inject some logic into the debate please do. Or maybe Bacrewmember might be able to assist you? Genuinely, not being sarcastic. This forum at least has carried out sensible discussions and debates. Unlike CC/BASSA forum who can only resort to name calling and trading insults. :bored:

BASSA's 'update'
 

Email from BASSA as follows:-

Our updated advice is to now ring OST if you wish and report that you are
available for duty.

The "don't take industrial action letter" has now disappeared after
details were reported in the press. At present there are not many trips to
allocate.

The Cranebank interview has also now been altered to an "in touch" style
meeting with your fellow strikers and three managers - we know whom our
money's on!

Some people have had this allocated but not everybody - it appears hit and
miss.

Remember that 24 hours' notice is required for a duty.

Our understanding at present, is that your basic pay can only be deducted
for the time during which you were participating in industrial action,
although we haven't, as yet, heard back from our lawyers - we will however
publish our legal advice in full tomorrow, for your guidance.

Thank you again for all your support; we will keep you updated as we
receive the information ourselves.


Just a couple of things here regarding the update. Perhaps if they'd have bothered to read the ESS from BF before the strike dates, they might have had an update sooner, rather than on day two back to work. Firstly, they have said that the update is to 'now call OST if you want to return to work earlier', well, BF said that quite some time ago so it's hardly an 'update' is it? If BA were stating that they wouldn't get paid until the reported back to work, surely their Lawyers might have checked this out sooner? Interesting to note that at present there aren't many flights to be allocated. :{

I would be very wary of advice from BASSA's lawyers. They (as with BALPA's lawyers over Openskies) don't have a great track record against BA's lawyers.

BA made it very clear in an email a few weeks back that pay would be deducted from the point when a crew member failed to report for duty until such time that BA could reasonably roster another trip, yet its only now that Bassa have decided to consult their lawyers, talk about shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.

It would be comical, if they weren't representing me, despite the fact that I have resigned from Bassa.:sad: