Will Iberia Pilots strike over IB Express?

[ETOPS]

See this news article........IAG Announcement

Looks like a direct attack on Iberia mainline T & Cs.....

[beachbumflyer]

I think they will. They have no other choice.

[License to Fly]

This was always going to happen. With the Spanish Economy spluttering away, the low cost airlines growing and the size of Iberia flight crew pay/ rigid T&C's.

The latest IAG results showed BA making profit and being able to push through price rises, but Iberia was struggling to do either of these. I can see all Iberia short/mediumhaul and maybe vueling as well, being incorporated into the new LCC that is Iberia Express

There is no food provided on Iberia shorthaul economy anyway so I guess the passengers will not notice any difference - I just wonder if IAG will do the same to BA and start a BA Express ?

[Full Left Rudder]

Anything could happen of course with BA going the same way, although it would be entirely contrary to the strategy laid out by the BA CEO recently in his interview in the Financial Times.

[Microburst2002]

no strike, but court will say it is ilegal

No need for strike, because the airline will be illegal.

However, if the law is not enforced (lately there is a tendency to do this by the government and all the spanish high courts, who can say 2+2 is 5 without blushing) then the strike is inevitable, but they will lose, since the government will dictate 90% minimum services and will prosecute union leaders if they try to do a real strike. And on top of that, all media will attack fiercely the pilots, with the same rage they displayed with the ATC.

They might well put the military in the observer seat to force pilots to fly!!!

[Cough]

Please explain why the airline will be illegal?

[NEWYEAR]

It will be illegal because is limited by the Annex 10 of the Collective Agreement Pilots. For that reason must strive to present a project that seems the most "alien" to Iberia and try to avoid a judge to freeze the low cost.

So, It´s very possible that the new company does not have the name of Iberia-Express (IBX)

I´m afraid that BA will create a similar low cost in U.K.
But, Spanish people are the guinea-pigs.

[captplaystation]

Spanish Govt will do the same to Iberia as they have achieved with the controllers. Your conditions will be ruined, the Govt will manipulate the Press/public opinion to present you as under-performing/over-paid prima donnas.
The good times are over, but good luck defending them, although I fear your success will be limited & of short duration.
Not many "legacy companies" left to bite the bullet, but the grim reaper is coming to all of them.
Maybe best to take early retirement/another job elsewhere, & remember the "good times", than to stress whilst resisting the unstoppable/ inevitable consequences of living in a bankrupt capitalist country, that needs to steal every € available from its citizens to bail out its incompetent unscrupulous banks, courtesy of their past lack of foresight/ & greed.
I doubt if the results of your forthcoming elections are likely to be beneficial to your cause either.

[Microburst2002]

As of today, it doesn't matter who wins the elections. Whoever comes will use the scissors and cut everybody's way of life.

And soon the euro will collapse, and along with it, world economy will be affected and all airline expansions will freeze. Again.

So. whoever has a relatively secure job, don't play with it.

May God protect us all!

[goerring]

Backs against the wall?

I just wonder if IAG will do the same to BA and start a BA Express ?

How about calling it BA CityExpress or BA Connect or BA Cityflyer ?

I suspect the mainline union at LHR do not have their backs to the wall ( yet ? ) as much as their Spanish colleagues, and breaking the SCOPE agreement and subsequent squabling does not sit well with " To Fly To Serve ".

One cannot fly "to the edge of space, the edge of dreams" on your 5th early with minimum rest in the airport Travelodge.

Have no doubt though that if we face a poor economic future then the BA brand image will take a back seat and any tactic to reduce short haul cost will be made by IAG, including disregarding SCOPE.

[marlowe]

So is the future Iberia has Iberia Express running short/medium haul in spain on reduced terms and conditions and BA has something called Cityflyer (insert what ever name ) running short/medium haul from LCY/LGW on the current cityflyer T&Cs ?

[Jimmy Hoffa Rocks]

Iberia pilots will strike, and BA pilots ?

Hello

I feel that the Iberia pilots will strike, unless a agreement is reached.
In a way management perhaps wants them to strike to play them as the bad guys. ?

Definitely some negotiating games being played out by management

The attitude of Iberia management is draconian as they are being aggressive towards their pilots. It seems very important to management to break down Iberia pilots. Understand that the Iberia pilots made serious concessions and close to Easyjet to fly Iberia Express, this was rejected.

Iberia started Clickair and lost 200 million Euros, why dont they make a deal with the Iberia and Vueling pilots ? Both SEPLA. Which would in the end save them from a costly strike, labour problems with a win-win deal ?

( Iberia does not seem to care about the other investors in Vueling, its partners, this is clear. )

BA and Iberia pilots have signed a mutual agreement against Externalization and a mutual strike agreement.

If the Iberia pilots decide to strike over Iberia express would not the BA pilots strike in support as per the agreement ?

[4468]

If the Iberia pilots decide to strike over Iberia express would not the BA pilots strike in support as per the agreement ?

If such action was legal, my guess is, yes they would!

However... I'd be surprised if it is possible?

[NEWYEAR]

The SEPLA trade union leader Justo Peral, in a newspaper interview for the prestigious Bloomberg asserted that Willie Walsh, Executive Officer of the merged British Airways-Iberia, promotes growth of the company in the UK at the expense of undermining its Spanish partner to reduce costs.

President SEPLA trade union section in Iberia in the same interview he said that the plans announced on October 6th to divert 13 planes to Iberia low-cost violates the terms of the merger, designed to guarantee the status of the Spanish airline within IAG. "We are very disappointed that IAG in its first decision after the merger has been violating our agreement," he said.

"We believe it is a way to cut the company into pieces," said Peral, adding that the strategy was probably imposed by Walsh to CEO of the Spanish airline, Rafael Sanchez-Lozano, "Chop Iberia allowed to have a new hub in Madrid without any restrictions. "

So, BA pilots are eager to take positions in Madrid and they are not willing to support IB pilots.

[rubik101]

What short memories some of you have! BA had a short haul low-cost for a few years not very long ago, called GO. So that is not likely to happen again soon.

Iberia is the name of a peninsula, not an airline, so I fail to see how using the word could be deemed illegal. Does BA own the word British? No, as was so amusingly pointed out by BAF when they renamed the airline, 'British' some years ago, in response to the re-branding of BA and their claim to the word.

If IAG want a lo-co in Spain, it will happen and the more the Iberia pilots try to fight it, the less likely are they to get the jobs created. They will be filled by the many hundred of out of work pilots in the EU, all legally entitled to work in Spain.

[seasexsun]

BA had a short haul low-cost for a few years not very long ago, called GO. So that is not likely to happen again soon.

That doesn't mean anything. Your point is bull****.

[rubik101]

Would you care to explain why you wrote that the point is bull****, and please don't say, 'because it is' which is pretty much what your post amounts to at the moment.