Iberia pilots on strike
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I just read in the news about Iberia Express and I take my previous statement back. Yep, that's pretty illegal for management to do that. Airline within and airline with a B pay scale.
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Maybe they could take a day course in the use of the English language in the air whilst they are away from work ?
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I find it a bit sickening to hear some posters encouraging the Iberia pilots to stand up to Willie Walsh, when BA's cabin crew were undermined in their own dispute through the Flight Crew volunteering to fly as volunteers.
What an appalling display of self-preservation.
What an appalling display of self-preservation.
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Deal ?
Yes good luck to Iberia pilots but you have to look back at the long history of this
like Iberia has not hired pilots since 2000 and been pressuring their pilots since
creating Clickair and removing pilots from Barcelona.
Rumour is that the Iberia pilots are back at the negotiating table.?
Wonder if they will accept lower pay scales so that the Iberia FOīs can fly as Captains at Iberia express.
In the meantime taxiing at 5 knots, etc continues.
Spanish ATC still giving few directs shortcuts compared to Europe adding tons of carbon dioxide and costing Spanish airlines millions. Or giving directs that dont shortcut much at the end.
like Iberia has not hired pilots since 2000 and been pressuring their pilots since
creating Clickair and removing pilots from Barcelona.
Rumour is that the Iberia pilots are back at the negotiating table.?
Wonder if they will accept lower pay scales so that the Iberia FOīs can fly as Captains at Iberia express.
In the meantime taxiing at 5 knots, etc continues.
Spanish ATC still giving few directs shortcuts compared to Europe adding tons of carbon dioxide and costing Spanish airlines millions. Or giving directs that dont shortcut much at the end.
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I find it a bit sickening to hear some posters encouraging the Iberia pilots to stand up to Willie Walsh, when BA's cabin crew were undermined in their own dispute through the Flight Crew volunteering to fly as volunteers.
What an appalling display of self-preservation.
What an appalling display of self-preservation.
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BRITISH AIRWAIS EXPRESS
I wonder what would be the tone of this thread if instead of IBEXPRESS looming over the Iberia pilots there was a BRITEXPRESS looming over BA ones.
How many of you would be enthusiastic about it and sending CVs?
how many angry when the BA pilots announced strikes?
how many using the crisis as the excuse for the management to screw workers?
How many of you would be enthusiastic about it and sending CVs?
how many angry when the BA pilots announced strikes?
how many using the crisis as the excuse for the management to screw workers?
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Quote:
Maybe they could take a day course in the use of the English language in the air whilst they are away from work ?
A crass and worthless comment that this tread didn't need. What has English proficiency to do with the reasons behind this strike? When was the last time pilots tried to stand up to bullish management and arm-twisting operators in this country?
Maybe they could take a day course in the use of the English language in the air whilst they are away from work ?
A crass and worthless comment that this tread didn't need. What has English proficiency to do with the reasons behind this strike? When was the last time pilots tried to stand up to bullish management and arm-twisting operators in this country?
Whilst I admit that my exposure to Iberia pilots has been listening to the usually unintelligible mumblings from the cockpit, I can comment about the abysmal lack of language proficiency of the employees with whom I have been unfortunate enough to have dealings, that being ground, administrative, and cabin personnel. Not only are they usually sullen and disinterested at best, unlike most Spanish people, but for an international airlines, their language skills are a disgrace.
Fortunately I speak Spanish, otherwise I would have found it totally impossible to deal or work with these people, mostly monoglot. I remember one occasion when waiting for a severely delayed flight at Chaos Central (Barajas) to Johannesburg, the announcements were only being made in Spanish. The English speakers wanted to know what was going on and I got fed up with translating and I asked the ground hostess (before anyone says it, AENA, but Iberia's attitude is the same) to make the announcements in English, to which she asked why .... I explained that most of the passengers were in transit between English speaking countries and didn't understand Spanish, to which she replied : "Entonces estan unos tontos", roughly, "then they must be a bunch of idiots."
This was not an isolated incident, I lived in Spain for a couple of years and had to use their appalling airline frequently.
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Yes, a further 2 strike dates have been announced for January
Further Iberia Strike Dates Announced
Further Iberia Strike Dates Announced
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CEO and Executive pay increase for Willie and the boys
The thing that is not acceptable is pilots accepting lower pay while the fat cat airline Executives such as Willie Walsh and Vasquez, Etc. increase theirs.
Is all your pay cut going to make things more competitive for shareholders ?
Go ahead ask the shareholders
Go on keep on letting them ruin your conditions without taking look out for yourself only, and not be united watch how your pay will decrease.
After they screw the Iberia pilots watch how they will congratulate themselves with some nice fat bonuses.
I suppose that these executives have not noticed the Occupy Wall street movement.
It is time for all us pilots to start our own occupy Runway movement.
IT IS TIME TO ROCK THEIR WORLD!
Canīt happen ? look at Egypt and the Middle East.
If you have no job would you accept a job at Iberia express while other pilots are striking against it to fight for decent working conditions and a decent way of life ?
Remember we are all responsable for our own actions and non action.
Is all your pay cut going to make things more competitive for shareholders ?
Go ahead ask the shareholders
Go on keep on letting them ruin your conditions without taking look out for yourself only, and not be united watch how your pay will decrease.
After they screw the Iberia pilots watch how they will congratulate themselves with some nice fat bonuses.
I suppose that these executives have not noticed the Occupy Wall street movement.
It is time for all us pilots to start our own occupy Runway movement.
IT IS TIME TO ROCK THEIR WORLD!
Canīt happen ? look at Egypt and the Middle East.
If you have no job would you accept a job at Iberia express while other pilots are striking against it to fight for decent working conditions and a decent way of life ?
Remember we are all responsable for our own actions and non action.
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English proficiency may have nothing to do with the strike, but lack of it explains why Iberia is in the dark ages in terms of customer service.
As far as your discontent with their "help-desk" in Barajas, you could have complained to the duty manager/supervisor, me thinks. Done myself several times with BA.
Take an hard look at what is happening around EU (and USA) not just in the aviation industry, how people are getting increasingly fed up with almost everything. I have lived in UK for a while now and I find hard to believe everything is fine up here.
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These guys are taking on WWalsh and I say good luck to them, the pendulum has swung too far in favour of the bosses and the big shareholders.I hope, in spite of the inopportune timing, that Iberia pilots give Senor Walsh a hiding.
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Since BA pilots volunteered to fly as cabin crew, it would seem hypocritical in the extreme if they took industrial action to protect their T&C's.
Perhaps IAG contracts for BMI flight crew and the creation of BA Express at Heathrow, may make them wish they had kept their noses out of the cabin crew dispute?
At least Iberia pilots would never stoop so low and are now valiantly fighting the savage attack on their jobs by Walsh. Good luck to them!
As for BA flight crew, what goes around, comes around.
Perhaps IAG contracts for BMI flight crew and the creation of BA Express at Heathrow, may make them wish they had kept their noses out of the cabin crew dispute?
At least Iberia pilots would never stoop so low and are now valiantly fighting the savage attack on their jobs by Walsh. Good luck to them!
As for BA flight crew, what goes around, comes around.
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Well, things are moving along quickly.
I have just read the BMI proposal from Stephen Riley and it makes very uncomfortable reading.
Still glad you two ringers on the 747 acted as strike breakers? Seemed like a jolly good idea at the time to screw your cabin crew colleagues. And now look at this!!
I have just read the BMI proposal from Stephen Riley and it makes very uncomfortable reading.
Still glad you two ringers on the 747 acted as strike breakers? Seemed like a jolly good idea at the time to screw your cabin crew colleagues. And now look at this!!
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Much respect to the Iberia pilots for having the cojones to strike! Could we, here in the UK, in BALPA learn something from all this?I guess we'll have to await the final outcome and see how the land lies. I wonder what the Virgin guys think about it all ( in so much their ability to strike after an impressive ballot result, was removed at the 11th hr)?
Last edited by sidtheesexist; 7th Jan 2012 at 12:22.
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IB management is hardly the most competent, and the transfer of 40 A320s from IB to IB Express (I2) over the next few years should give IB staff reasons to worry.
However, IB pilots union leaders are either paranoid or want to use "nationalistic" feeling to try to get support among the spanish public.
They are saying that the management "plan" is to do away with IB so that BA can use MAD to do long haul flights connecting Latin America with Asia!that BA will "take over" Madrid!
That BA have emptied IB of its cash so that it could buy 50 airplanes!
No, I am not joking:
Here is one (of many) articles in Spanish that quote the claims by the SEPLA leadership :
El Sepla acusa a British de "vaciar la caja" de Iberia
However, IB pilots union leaders are either paranoid or want to use "nationalistic" feeling to try to get support among the spanish public.
They are saying that the management "plan" is to do away with IB so that BA can use MAD to do long haul flights connecting Latin America with Asia!that BA will "take over" Madrid!
That BA have emptied IB of its cash so that it could buy 50 airplanes!
No, I am not joking:
Here is one (of many) articles in Spanish that quote the claims by the SEPLA leadership :
El Sepla acusa a British de "vaciar la caja" de Iberia
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Hi Condorox
Donīt know if paranoid or Nationalistic but a few things spring to mind... a cash tight BAīs employee pension fund; a 2000000000 Euros cash assets in IBīs pockets; a possible future near zero BA expansion at LHR due to airport capacity; a low time fleet; a 20% share market share in SA. And if, and only if, IAG = BA, at zero cost for BA
Wouldnīt know if any of this represents the truth of the reality but it could certainly be easily presented as a feasible scenario.
In any case, SEPLA is playing his cards the way it sees fit... and I, personally, donīt blame them.
Not IB myself...
WSA
Donīt know if paranoid or Nationalistic but a few things spring to mind... a cash tight BAīs employee pension fund; a 2000000000 Euros cash assets in IBīs pockets; a possible future near zero BA expansion at LHR due to airport capacity; a low time fleet; a 20% share market share in SA. And if, and only if, IAG = BA, at zero cost for BA
Wouldnīt know if any of this represents the truth of the reality but it could certainly be easily presented as a feasible scenario.
In any case, SEPLA is playing his cards the way it sees fit... and I, personally, donīt blame them.
Not IB myself...
WSA
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Greetings WSA,
I am neither IB or BA, but do follow their moves with interest. Both companies are operationally independent, so no cash from one to the other, least of all for pension funds.
BA is making money from its own operations, as its yields have been improving. IB is losing money and thus having to use up its cash reserves.
The thing is, BA had some tough times (remember it parking a few 747s?), and has been recovering (747s are back, with new first class), whilst IB had not had it as bad (not least as its competition has been more limited on long haul) and only losing money on short haul ops.. But things have changed with the Spanish economy in bad shape, more competition (KL-AF and LH have added routes and capacity to LatAm) and high fuel price have derived in overall losses for IB. The bad times have now hit it.
In my view a good solution for IB would have been to come to an agreement between management and staff, as BA did with theirs that allow lower costs on certain operations (For instance now BA can use 744 to Moscow and back with the same crew, whereas before such a thing would have meant change of crew at Moscow with accommodation costs for 14 people).
As for growth at LHR, you will find that BA will increase its long haul significantly with some slots it has acquired (some leased, some bought), and soon with bmi and all the slots that come with it. BA ordered A380s and 787s a few years ago for delivery from next year, and they will come in handy. For the moment they will have to do with 77Ws. A number of long haul destinations will be added over time.
I am neither IB or BA, but do follow their moves with interest. Both companies are operationally independent, so no cash from one to the other, least of all for pension funds.
BA is making money from its own operations, as its yields have been improving. IB is losing money and thus having to use up its cash reserves.
The thing is, BA had some tough times (remember it parking a few 747s?), and has been recovering (747s are back, with new first class), whilst IB had not had it as bad (not least as its competition has been more limited on long haul) and only losing money on short haul ops.. But things have changed with the Spanish economy in bad shape, more competition (KL-AF and LH have added routes and capacity to LatAm) and high fuel price have derived in overall losses for IB. The bad times have now hit it.
In my view a good solution for IB would have been to come to an agreement between management and staff, as BA did with theirs that allow lower costs on certain operations (For instance now BA can use 744 to Moscow and back with the same crew, whereas before such a thing would have meant change of crew at Moscow with accommodation costs for 14 people).
As for growth at LHR, you will find that BA will increase its long haul significantly with some slots it has acquired (some leased, some bought), and soon with bmi and all the slots that come with it. BA ordered A380s and 787s a few years ago for delivery from next year, and they will come in handy. For the moment they will have to do with 77Ws. A number of long haul destinations will be added over time.