BA Strike - Your Thoughts & Questions III

[plodding along]

Not unlike the recent pension changes then.

UNITE balloted all staff groups except the cabin crew.

It speaks volumes about UNITE's true support of BASSA and CC89.

[Diplome]

call100:

I'm not sure what you would consider "interesting".

There is an offer on the table. It will be accepted or rejected. BA will continue to prepare for possible strike action and each and every act of obstruction put up by BASSA/Amicus/Unite that prevents BA from planning for the future will only accelerate Mixed Fleet.

As for Mr. Holley being the Secretary of BASSA, no one is arguing that he holds that post. What is up for discussion is some of rather bizarre actions that have placed BASSA cabin crew in their present situation.

I must agree with Ancient Observer. Any representation by the BASSA leadership that they "know what they are doing" is rather incredible, but there's always a first time for everything.

[call100]

It may not be interesting for yourself but please don't assume that others don't find the internal wrangling so.

[vctenderness]

[quote=Joao da Silva;6038255]Please may we stop the character assassinations of Duncan Holley.

Until the next elections, he is the legitimate secretary of BASSA.

No he is not! To be a member of BASSA in BA and to be a Rep and indeed the Branch Secretary you need to be employed as British Airways Cabin crew at LHR or LGW - DH is not.

If he had not been dismissed but decided to retire before the elections were due he would now not be able to be BASSA branch Secretary.

He wants to continue to draw is very inflated commissions from the members subs so will hang on as long as he can.

[call100]

[quote=vctenderness;6038966]

Originally Posted by Joao da Silva

Please may we stop the character assassinations of Duncan Holley.

Until the next elections, he is the legitimate secretary of BASSA.

No he is not! To be a member of BASSA in BA and to be a Rep and indeed the Branch Secretary you need to be employed as British Airways Cabin crew at LHR or LGW - DH is not.

If he had not been dismissed but decided to retire before the elections were due he would now not be able to be BASSA branch Secretary.

He wants to continue to draw is very inflated commissions from the members subs so will hang on as long as he can.

I thought we had laid this myth to rest.

[Ancient Observer]

call 100.
No we have not. When a full and detailed audit of the sources and uses of all cash by bassa from 2007 to end 2010 is published and signed by a reputable firm, then the end of that part of the saga might be in sight.

[LD12986]

A full copy of the BASSA constitution should also provide an answer. Surely in the interests of transparency this is already freely available to any current and potential member of BASSA?

[Tigger4Me]

I wonder if any member has ever tried to query the accounts. If I were a BASSA member I would be seriously concerned where the money was going. If the powers that be within BASSA cannot complete a simple admin task like a membership list, what chance is there of managing a budget of circa £1.7 million?

[Litebulbs]

Baggersup

The subs are £131.52 per year. Bassa members pay an extra £5 I believe. I also think that a branch can claim 5% of the subs for admin etc. So that is £60k from the normal subs and £45K based on 9000 members.

Now where that £100k goes, who knows?!

[call100]

OK.....but it's all pure speculation and fantasy at the moment....If it makes you happy then it's all fine....

[rethymnon]

BASSA finances

the question of where the money goes raises interesting issues. perhaps a devout BASSA member (MissM?) knows or can find out and let us in on the nuts and bolts.

presumably there is a branch treasurer (and auditor?) who will publish an annual report for members. he would also keep the committee informed on a meeting by meeting basis.

members should have this info somewhere and should be able to enlighten us. if for no other reason, just to show us what a biassed, bigotted lot we are!

al capone was eventually done for tax evasion i believe - there are many ways to skin a cat if one is creative!

[JUAN TRIPP]

Bassa Finances

I have for years been asking where Bassa'a money goes. ( They have had circa 12000 members at approx £17/month for years now - Thats nearly £2m/year!!! ) One of the reasons I left them years ago was that despite asking and writing to Bassa/TGWU on MANY occasions, I was met with anything from Shrugs of the shoulders, to 'why would you ever want to know that' and even 'stop asking such stupid questions - nobody else has EVER asked this' Eventually I was told ' why dont you just leave this union, we dont want people like you here. ( That was the nice edited version!! )

Even though I know and have known many things about Bassa which are now much better reported - DH collecting £1000's/month in membership contributions into his back pocket being one, I've only just found out that a well known CSD on Eurofleet is apparently an 'auditor' of Bassa's money. He kept that quiet I can tell you. What I find amazing, is that for an 'organisation' that takes £2m/year, how is it that hell any member cannot easily get to see the yearly audit. As far as I can see it doesn't exist.

Questions I have asked, and a few friends too, include, what is the reps daily rate, what expenses are they entitled to, how much really goes to Unite, and the old one - how much does DH get as the GS.

It still is and from I can work out always will be a TOTAL mystery

[Litebulbs]

baggersup

How high up do you have to be, to fall into the prime driver?

[Neptunus Rex]

1.75 million pounds. It will be interesting to see how that compares with BAs' legal costs for the latest High Court action. I doubt that BASSA is a net contributor to Unite's funds.

[notlangley]

One of the Mods once said that postings on these threads is like listening to drunks in the kitchen when the actual party is upstairs._ The 509 posting of Juan Tripp is an honourable exception to this._ It would be wonderful if the seed that JT has planted can grow and enable British Airways cabin crew to reform and transform BASSA.

[just an observer]

The subs are £131.52 per year. Bassa members pay an extra £5 I believe. I also think that a branch can claim 5% of the subs for admin etc. So that is £60k from the normal subs and £45K based on 9000 members.

Now where that £100k goes, who knows?!

Litebulbs, the Unite website shows subs as £10.96 a month, hence your £131.52 above. However, CC on here have said they pay £16 a month, so it's £5 a month more, not £5 a year as your arithmetic above suggests. That totals £540,000 a year for BASSA, not £45000 (assuming 9000 members). I daresay BASSA may not claim the 5% admin expenses but it's still a pretty hefty budget.

[Hipennine]

Union Accounts

I'm sure that this has been posted before, but it's interesting, and answers many of the generic questions, and supports or rejects many of the posts above re access to Union accounts:

Unite - Transport and General Workers Union accounts - investigation by the TGW Union Certification Officer into a branch accounts

[Litebulbs]

Just an Observer

I am glad you observed! Well done and apologies for my poor math.

[Dual ground]

Anyone else noticed how quiet the Cabin Crew thread has been since the announcement of the Appeal Court ruling?

Litebulbs, you have been the voice of reason from a union point of view, during this whole dispute. Mind if I ask what your view is, regards the Amicus/CC89 refusal to recommend the latest offer? More specifically do you think that BA will now withdraw the offer?

[vctenderness]

Originally Posted by call100

OK.....but it's all pure speculation and fantasy at the moment....If it makes you happy then it's all fine....

Err.. no its not I posted this back in September and I can assure you it is absolutely accurate so call100 please have a read!
With reference to the money earned by DH I have noticed some misleading statements on this thread.

A little history lesson. Way back in the mists of time TGWU shop stewards working in factories and the like used to collect the members subscription in cash, usually using a old tobacco tin. The Employer would 'take them off the clock' in other words they would not be paid for the time taken to collect the dues.
In order that the shop steward would not lose out financially they would be able to keep a percentage of the money to compensate. This used to be around 15% of the dues.

This was know as Branch Secretaries Honorarium. This system applied to the BASSA Branch Secretary even though the subs were collected by BA by Payroll deduction. BA deducts a sum from this for administration 2.5% ish.

The remainder would be kept by the BS and for many years was not treated as income by the Revenue although I am not sure of the tax position today. A number of years ago the TGWU reduced the % kept by the BS to, I believe 8% so today it could well be 5% as mentioned elsewhere.

When the merger between TGWU and Amicus first came to light BASSA made a big thing about having secured 'assurances' (written in blood no doubt) from TGWU GS Tony Woodley that their 'financial arrangements would remain the same 'no matter what happened to the merger'. You can assume from this that would include the continuation of the BS Commission. BASSA made big play about this in a Newsletter (without mention of BS Commission).

I believe that DH pays a sum of money into the Branch fund but, crucially I believe, not all of it.

No member of BASSA is brave enough to challenge them and ask to see the Branch books and the amount of Honorarium being paid. The Branch Auditors are a couple of well trusted members who, I am led to believe, never make a financial statement to the Branch members at their meetings.

I have heard people refer to the disclosure of money paid into and spent by the union which is required by law. This actually refers to the 'big union' ie Unite today. A notice to members is issued and all monies are detailed in this including GS earnings and Executive Council expenses however the branches are not required to declare this. Two BASSA reps are on the EC and their expenses for that role are declared in the statement. This bears no relationship to their earnings from BASSA as lay reps which is not declared.

The sums claimed from BASSA are quite considerable being in the region of £100 per day for attendance to meetings. The tax position of these monies is also favourable.

15:40