BA Cabin Crew Strike Threats (Merged)
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While the bulk of the blame for this fiasco must be heaped on the shoulders of the union and the cabin crew who voted for strike action, a lot of blame should be attached to BA management of old. When aviation was much more regulated, when Easy and Ryanair were either non existant or tiny, when Heathrow was a fortress, those managements (you know who you are) fudged pay deal after pay deal and allowed BA cabin crew to become far better paid and to be endulged with far more ludicrous working practices than any other UK carriers. They allowed this because in those days they could still make high profits in spite of their costs. It had to end sometime and, one way or the other, it looks like this is the time.
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Anyone seen the video of when the union announce their ballot 'success?' Jubilant cheers around the room as if england have just won the world cup.
I don't know if this is cabin crew in attendance or just union officials. But whoever it is it makes me physically sick to watch it.
If its cabin crew then they dont deserve to be in employment at all, never mind at british airways.
Although I work for a certain Irish 'short haul rival,' I do not like to see british airways doing badly and it saddens me to say that if this goes ahead it could be the end of ba.
Hopefully willie walsh wins his court case.
I don't know if this is cabin crew in attendance or just union officials. But whoever it is it makes me physically sick to watch it.
If its cabin crew then they dont deserve to be in employment at all, never mind at british airways.
Although I work for a certain Irish 'short haul rival,' I do not like to see british airways doing badly and it saddens me to say that if this goes ahead it could be the end of ba.
Hopefully willie walsh wins his court case.
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If wishes were horses
While I have a vested interest in BA getting their injunction I don't think it's very likely. Apparently there was 1000, or so, ineligible votes cast by people who no longer work for BA.
Even if you excluded 1000 positive votes you would still have a 'majority' in favour.
Even if you excluded 1000 positive votes you would still have a 'majority' in favour.
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According to all those on Crew Forum or the BASSA forum who are actually motivating this suicidal strike cause, you are all 100% behind the Cabin Crew as loyal customers wishing to retain the 'best service in the world' that only they can provide.
Sadly both BASSA/Unite and the management of old have perpetuated this belief for so long that some of the 'senior' crew (You know the ones, those that look disdainfully down their noses at you) have begun to believe the rhetoric.
The rest of the staff at BA do not hold the Unite/BASSA view. The rest of the staff at BA have done and are doing their utmost to prevent this bunch of complete fools from destroying the airline.
Ironically the advantage to the passengers will be that, if the airline survives this idiocy, the service to the passenger will be remarkably better without the harriden of BASSA breathing over the shoulders of the CC spitting poison on anything the company does to improve your service without the 'BASSA' seal of approval.
Stick with it. I think the next couple of days will be very, very revealing.
Sadly both BASSA/Unite and the management of old have perpetuated this belief for so long that some of the 'senior' crew (You know the ones, those that look disdainfully down their noses at you) have begun to believe the rhetoric.
The rest of the staff at BA do not hold the Unite/BASSA view. The rest of the staff at BA have done and are doing their utmost to prevent this bunch of complete fools from destroying the airline.
Ironically the advantage to the passengers will be that, if the airline survives this idiocy, the service to the passenger will be remarkably better without the harriden of BASSA breathing over the shoulders of the CC spitting poison on anything the company does to improve your service without the 'BASSA' seal of approval.
Stick with it. I think the next couple of days will be very, very revealing.
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In response to post 162 :
From today's Telegraph. I am a bit sceptical of this figure.
The strike call was endorsed by 92.5 per cent of those who took part in a ballot of BA's 13,500 cabin crew, who are members of the trade union Unite. Eight out of ten crew voted, making it one of the most decisive calls for industrial action in recent years.
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Greetings Topbunk! I thought you had taken your cash and run? My point is any strike is calculated to threaten the bottom line.The Pilot's dispute threatened the company's financial standing and lost customers but such was the principal that Pilots decided CC could lose income whilst resisting BA management. I have no knowledge of how you voted, if you did of course, in that matter. I will assure you the Pinkaroo household did not get a vote in the current matter and will not withdraw labour. That having been said any stand against cheap foreign labour is a victory for the natives of UKplc against those who would sell us short for a fast buck. There is a plan in place to flood us with cheap labourers who have no plans to keep my country strong. Instead they encourage hotbunking cash merchants to stroll in.
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I just despair! The threat of the strike is doing enough damage to the airline.
I was recently wobbling and took a trip to Australia on Cathay, rather than BA. I have had a BA Exec Gold for 10 years. I have flown 4 times with BA in the last couple of weeks, once to Boston, which was back to being fabulous, and I have just got back from Edinburgh, the crew were again fabulous, despite the backdrop of a cabin full of people reading the newspapers.....
I have to say, I am looking at booking my first trip of the new year in January, there is no way i'm going BA. I just don't trust the union, 12 days of strike is just unbelievable, I like most others cant afford to take the risk.
Most other industries are taking pay freezes at best and pay cuts at worse, its not like BA CC are having anything cut, they already earn DOUBLE rival airlines, where are they going to work when they get their way and the airline goes down the tube? Do they expect someone else to walk in and take over the airline and not change their T&C's to be more in line with the rest of the industry?
I'm just so angry about this situation, as you can probably tell. It just makes no sense, talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
I was recently wobbling and took a trip to Australia on Cathay, rather than BA. I have had a BA Exec Gold for 10 years. I have flown 4 times with BA in the last couple of weeks, once to Boston, which was back to being fabulous, and I have just got back from Edinburgh, the crew were again fabulous, despite the backdrop of a cabin full of people reading the newspapers.....
I have to say, I am looking at booking my first trip of the new year in January, there is no way i'm going BA. I just don't trust the union, 12 days of strike is just unbelievable, I like most others cant afford to take the risk.
Most other industries are taking pay freezes at best and pay cuts at worse, its not like BA CC are having anything cut, they already earn DOUBLE rival airlines, where are they going to work when they get their way and the airline goes down the tube? Do they expect someone else to walk in and take over the airline and not change their T&C's to be more in line with the rest of the industry?
I'm just so angry about this situation, as you can probably tell. It just makes no sense, talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
I'm currently working for a very large helicopter operating company who must buy well in excess of 5000 airline tickets per year. (At a guess, I would estimate that 20% of these were BA).
We have now been told that when applying for tickets, BA are no longer to be used due to the possible problems, and this will continue even when the strike is over.
I'm sure that there must be many businesses who will do the same, as well as many private individuals.
You can only screw your customers so many times, and IMO, BA will get what it deserves from this latest folly.
We have now been told that when applying for tickets, BA are no longer to be used due to the possible problems, and this will continue even when the strike is over.
I'm sure that there must be many businesses who will do the same, as well as many private individuals.
You can only screw your customers so many times, and IMO, BA will get what it deserves from this latest folly.
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The politics of it all is what is stunning.....
The strike is called, but the 12 day Xmas strike was not on the ballot paper. Politics?
The pension deficit is no where to be found anymore in the press. Politics too or coincidence?
The T5 disaster is now all but forgotten and contrary to then, WW is now the victim not the culprit.
It s all very unique and exceptionally high stakes.
Respect for the upset CC who are volunteering to come back from holiday to save the company and in the process their jobs and those of others.
The strike is called, but the 12 day Xmas strike was not on the ballot paper. Politics?
The pension deficit is no where to be found anymore in the press. Politics too or coincidence?
The T5 disaster is now all but forgotten and contrary to then, WW is now the victim not the culprit.
It s all very unique and exceptionally high stakes.
Respect for the upset CC who are volunteering to come back from holiday to save the company and in the process their jobs and those of others.
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Im BA crew, Im not a moron, Im not stupid, Im not niave, Im bloody good at my job, the vast vast vast majority of the people I work with are bloody good at their jobs (I can count on one hand the amount of crew I have seen be rude to a passenger in ten years), Passengers get off flights im on happy, Im a good soul, Im educated (have a business degree) and I believe in fighting to maintain my standard of living. Im sure you all would do the same and I am sure you would hate people generalising and calling you names in public for doing so!
Might I add, I earn nowhere near the figures being quoted in the press (by Willie...how unprofessional of him), I have a family too which is being destroyed by this shambles of a situation, I will stand up to the bullies and shame on so many of you for your ignorant comments...
For the record....YOU CANNOT BE SACKED FOR LEGAL STRIKE ACTION!
Also...you cant shut down an airline and restart it the next day! FACT
Might I add, I earn nowhere near the figures being quoted in the press (by Willie...how unprofessional of him), I have a family too which is being destroyed by this shambles of a situation, I will stand up to the bullies and shame on so many of you for your ignorant comments...
For the record....YOU CANNOT BE SACKED FOR LEGAL STRIKE ACTION!
Also...you cant shut down an airline and restart it the next day! FACT
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Originally Posted by vanHorck
The pension deficit is no where to be found anymore in the press. Politics too or coincidence?
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Originally Posted by apaddyinuk
For the record....YOU CANNOT BE SACKED FOR LEGAL STRIKE ACTION!
But has it escaped your attention that, in the midst of the greatest downturn in the fortunes of the aviation industry in history, and with low-cost airlines taking passengers from the legacy carriers in droves, your employer is losing hundreds of millions of pounds a year. Already, thousands of people are cancelling their plans to fly with BA and booking with other carriers: as a result, those carriers will survive this recession while your company may not. Then how proud will you be of your little strike?
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Also...you cant shut down an airline and restart it the next day! FACT
Simples.
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With that sort of attitude, it is clear paddyinuk is truly a part of the problem. He/she can complain all he/she likes about pay and conditions but I am certain BA's pay and conditions are much better than no pay and no conditions. And that must surely be what many will soon face? BA will never try to sack someone for going on strike. There are far subtler ways of trimming a workforce that appears hell bent on the demise of its employer.
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Airline 12 days grounded? I suspect that will be the end of BA as we know it. No outfit can take that sort of a hit and get up running.
Talk about turkeys voting for Christmas!
Sabena pilots tried that a few years ago and bought the airline down with them. Pushed the self-destruct button they did.
There still does seem to be a culture among "flag carrier" employees, they're untouchable and irreplaceable.
Whiskers will be happy of course, among others.
Talk about turkeys voting for Christmas!
Sabena pilots tried that a few years ago and bought the airline down with them. Pushed the self-destruct button they did.
There still does seem to be a culture among "flag carrier" employees, they're untouchable and irreplaceable.
Whiskers will be happy of course, among others.
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I believe in fighting to maintain my standard of living. Im sure you all would do the same
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apaddyinuk,
Instead of simply writing "I earn nowhere near the figures quoted in the press", please post an average for your net monthly pay (including allowances) over the last year and let us judge.
(I've seen the official data on average expenditure per cabin attendant for UK airlines and it gives a figure of £29.9k for BA. The next highest paying airline, easyJet, is £20.2k! Now these data probably include employer NI and pension contributions and other airlines might employ a higher proportion of part-timers but, even so, the gap between BA and all other UK airlines is, rightly or wrongly, remarkable.)
The fact that you have a degree is irrelevant. I have five years' university education but I would not expect my employer to pay me more than a non-graduate if I was a waiter in a restaurant (for example).
Some would argue that if you want a better paid job you should put your degree to good use and work elsewhere!
I'd be very surprised if the vast majority of BA cabin crew could earn as much for the skills they have if they were to seek employment elsewhere.
I think, legal or not, striking workers can be dismissed as they are breaking the terms of their contracts of employment.
Instead of simply writing "I earn nowhere near the figures quoted in the press", please post an average for your net monthly pay (including allowances) over the last year and let us judge.
(I've seen the official data on average expenditure per cabin attendant for UK airlines and it gives a figure of £29.9k for BA. The next highest paying airline, easyJet, is £20.2k! Now these data probably include employer NI and pension contributions and other airlines might employ a higher proportion of part-timers but, even so, the gap between BA and all other UK airlines is, rightly or wrongly, remarkable.)
The fact that you have a degree is irrelevant. I have five years' university education but I would not expect my employer to pay me more than a non-graduate if I was a waiter in a restaurant (for example).
Some would argue that if you want a better paid job you should put your degree to good use and work elsewhere!
I'd be very surprised if the vast majority of BA cabin crew could earn as much for the skills they have if they were to seek employment elsewhere.
I think, legal or not, striking workers can be dismissed as they are breaking the terms of their contracts of employment.
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This reminds me of the bad old days of the 1970's; silly stupid strikes for which there is no comeback. I don't know which planet the CC and their unions are living on but they should -in this climate- be very thankful for what they have got. they have a job with brilliant perks and a pension.
Outside in the real world, employees are taking a wage cut to save their jobs and keep the staff from joining the massed ranks of the unemployed.
The strike will cripple BA but the damage has already been done. But I am a loyal customer and will not defect to the other airlines simply because BA CC do a bloody good job. There is no competition there. And it grieves me to see the good airline being dragged down in this manner. For heavens sake, the unions should wake up, realise this is 2009 and not 1970 and back down.
Outside in the real world, employees are taking a wage cut to save their jobs and keep the staff from joining the massed ranks of the unemployed.
The strike will cripple BA but the damage has already been done. But I am a loyal customer and will not defect to the other airlines simply because BA CC do a bloody good job. There is no competition there. And it grieves me to see the good airline being dragged down in this manner. For heavens sake, the unions should wake up, realise this is 2009 and not 1970 and back down.
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apaddyinuk,
I think that an airline can be shut down in a day, doesn't their licence just get revoked when they are insolvent?
Your attitude reminds me of a comment I heard once from an ex-BCal employee, "Now BCal, that was a real airline." What happened to them?
Also, can anyone tell me what the CSD's used to do for all those hours when they weren't expected to help in the cabin?
Have a good day.
I think that an airline can be shut down in a day, doesn't their licence just get revoked when they are insolvent?
Your attitude reminds me of a comment I heard once from an ex-BCal employee, "Now BCal, that was a real airline." What happened to them?
Also, can anyone tell me what the CSD's used to do for all those hours when they weren't expected to help in the cabin?
Have a good day.