BA Strike - Your Thoughts & Questions
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It appears I shall now be flying into LGW tomorrow, so no worries there: the usual good and efficient crew.
I wonder who will be crewing the LHR-IAD on Wednesday? Non-strikers, of course, but how many of those will be unhappy BASSA supporters? Any VCC, I wonder? As Diplome noted, there are many factors involved in the potentially volatile Crew mix, and that will not enhance safety or the customer experience.
Nothing head from the Court yet ... an "interesting" day ahead!
I wonder who will be crewing the LHR-IAD on Wednesday? Non-strikers, of course, but how many of those will be unhappy BASSA supporters? Any VCC, I wonder? As Diplome noted, there are many factors involved in the potentially volatile Crew mix, and that will not enhance safety or the customer experience.
Nothing head from the Court yet ... an "interesting" day ahead!
Interesting comment from Tony Woodley in The Telegraph:
So the strike is now solely about restoring ST and cancelling disciplinaries. I wonder if CC have been informed of this?
The leader of the cabin crew accused the airline of being ''vindictive'' as he claimed the cost-cutting row which sparked strikes had now been settled.
Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, said an agreement had been reached in principle on a deal which would resolve the original dispute over pay, jobs and working practices, including staffing levels on flights. The dispute was being prolonged because BA was refusing to fully restore travel concessions to staff who went on strike in March, and over the suspension and sacking of over 50 cabin crew, said Mr Woodley.
Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, said an agreement had been reached in principle on a deal which would resolve the original dispute over pay, jobs and working practices, including staffing levels on flights. The dispute was being prolonged because BA was refusing to fully restore travel concessions to staff who went on strike in March, and over the suspension and sacking of over 50 cabin crew, said Mr Woodley.
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BA chief dents hopes of strike talks breakthrough
Mr Walsh said he did not expect progress to made during talks between the two sides later today at the conciliation service Acas.
Mr Walsh said there was "absolutely no way" he would intervene in disciplinary cases which the union said were now holding up the prospect of a deal.
"British Airways has very clear policies on dealing with bullying, harassment and intimidation. Any respectable trade union would expect me to deal with that in a fair and proper way."
"British Airways has very clear policies on dealing with bullying, harassment and intimidation. Any respectable trade union would expect me to deal with that in a fair and proper way."
Last edited by PaddyMiguel; 17th May 2010 at 13:43. Reason: My BOLD
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Interesting quotes Paddy.
BA seems quite clear today in its highlighting of the difference between Unite and the "dysfunctional" BASSA.
From Sky News:
BA does not seem to be giving messages that indicate that they are wishing to placate the militant BASSA adherents.
BA seems quite clear today in its highlighting of the difference between Unite and the "dysfunctional" BASSA.
From Sky News:
Mr Walsh suggested that Unite would be willing to accept the offer, the branch of the union that represents the cabin crew, BASSA, was taking a hardline approach.
He said: "...while Tony Woodley, general secretary of Unite, is stating publicly that we have "agreement in principle" on all the important elements of the deal, BASSA continues to rubbish the offer we have made."
He said: "...while Tony Woodley, general secretary of Unite, is stating publicly that we have "agreement in principle" on all the important elements of the deal, BASSA continues to rubbish the offer we have made."
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That situation indicates serious management problems for BA once this IA is all over. How to win back that trust? How was it lost in the first place? Those 5000+ crew aren't all dinosaurs, surely? So what makes a perfectly decent people-person, who no doubt whooped with joy on receiving their acceptance letter from BA, turn into one of the jeering, chanting mob seen on those videos?
We've read dozens of posts claiming BA management are liars, bullies and untrustworthy but not one shred of evidence to back up those accusations.
This tough management style may be foreign to those who were used to the 'softly, softly' approach of Mike Street and Joy Hordern but it ain't going away.
The only thing for it is to get rid of the people who don't want to work for their current employer.
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That sums up their logic processes ...
What T&Cs do they have when the company goes down? A nice shiny P45 [ignored, because it was issued by BA]?
A few are diehard militants who have posted here that they would rather see BA go down than lose their T&Cs.
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Oh dear, how sad 
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As the ballot has been ruled unlawful the strikes were therefore illegal and so BA will have a claim against Unite for the costs of the strikes.
Does anyone know how much Unite have in the bank?
Does anyone know how much Unite have in the bank?
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@ Airclues ... not enough!! 
The process would make a few lawyers VERY rich, though!
The process would make a few lawyers VERY rich, though!
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Or does it now put WW in the position of saying to Unite, "sort your branches (BASSA & CC89) out or we'll cripple you financially"?
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The process would make a few lawyers VERY rich, though!
Or does it now put WW in the position of saying to Unite, "sort your branches (BASSA & CC89) out or we'll cripple you financially"?
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I've copied this from the CC thread before it disappears
Interestingly the union I am a member of has recognised the implications and is making sure that all the "ts" are crossed and all the "is" dotted.
I don't have any vested interest in this particular dispute but the courts are starting to set a very anti-union precedent. At the end of the day, these workers voted to strike (rightly or wrongly) and the court has told them that they cannot because of a highly technical and completely irrelevant detail that is so obscure none of us know precisely what it is.
If we want to create a situation where workers in any industry just walk out unplanned and with no notice then this is how to get it.
I don't work for BA - I don't work within the airline industry - I could not care less about this particular dispute. But I do believe that the right to strike action is an important democratic right that we all should have. It would appear that the courts have begun to erode this right and that is not a good step.
If we want to create a situation where workers in any industry just walk out unplanned and with no notice then this is how to get it.
I don't work for BA - I don't work within the airline industry - I could not care less about this particular dispute. But I do believe that the right to strike action is an important democratic right that we all should have. It would appear that the courts have begun to erode this right and that is not a good step.
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West Lakes ... just read that myself.
I have no problem with "the democratic rights of the workers".
I do have a problem when "the democratic rights of the Public to be protected from incompetent and questionable Industrial Action" are ignored.
I have no problem with "the democratic rights of the workers".
I do have a problem when "the democratic rights of the Public to be protected from incompetent and questionable Industrial Action" are ignored.
Quite frankly, any Union, particularly one as large and powerful as Unite, should make every effort to ensure that they fully comply with the law in all respects when considering industrial action. If they don't they are not properly protecting their members who they lead into such action. Unite have been shown to have been very lax in this regard. No doubt they will once again seek to blame BA &/or the Judiciary for their failings 
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Does this mean we will be stuck with the strikers on flights over this period? Or will these idiots still strike anyway? I think I'd prefer them to do so leaving their places to be filled by non-strikers and volunteers.
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High Stakes
You can bet your bottom dollar that WW et al have known since March that the ballot (and thus the strike) was illegal due to Unite's failure to correctly notify members of the outcome. Holding off an injunction until the day before yet another stoppage is part of a carefully thought out plan (ie not similar in any way to BASSA's knee jerk guerilla warfare)
The judge has refused permission to appeal.
UNITE/BASSA your call....................
The judge has refused permission to appeal.
UNITE/BASSA your call....................