Disgraceful Balpa and Unite Unions sold out bmi Crew!!

[seniortarget]

Basil,

The Dan-Air pilots that were not offered employment when BA took them over were also not offered redundancy. BA chopped up Dan-Air and kept the 737's and it's pilots. Some of the pilots on the other fleets had been with Dan-Air and BALPA for over 30 years and were advised by BALPA that what BA were doing was correct The out of work Dan-Air pilots formed a pilot action group and against the advise from BALPA took BA to court....and won.

In my 30+ years in aviation one lesson I have learnt is that BALPA is and always will be primarily a BA union, everyone else is treated as second class.

[ONE GREEN AND HOPING]

Basil......Technically, BA and BCal was a merger. 12.50 per share.... ta.

[BOAC]

Originally Posted by seniortarget

took BA to court....and won.

- and they got reasonably 'big bucks' but are, of course, sworn to secrecy.

[J.O.]

Was BMI shut down? No it wasn't, meaning the drivel saying that they could have been on the street instead is just that. Drivel.

Pilots are no better than animals in the wild where survival of the fittest rules. It's too bad given that we're all human beings who "should" be capable of recognizing and valuing the contributions of our colleagues from the other outfit when such mergers and takeovers occur. Oh but to be given the chance to to place the shoe on the other foot just to see how it would feel ...

[Private jet]

Of course. In any mechanism of human society what is deemed right and wrong is coloured very much by a persons situation and the perspective it generates. It works both ways too. You'll never change that i'm sorry to say.

[seniortarget]

BOAC,
I would hardly call it 'big bucks', it just about paid the bills for 6 months. It would have been far better to have an income particularly as it was 2 weeks after my first born

[Dan Winterland]

British Airways Line Pilots Association......BALPA.

Same old same old as many of us know to our cost.

Never been any ambiguity as to where their loyalties lie

Wot he said.

[Megaton]

The BACC is the British Airways Company Council. Who do you think they should be representing?

[Juan Tugoh]

Oooh goody. It's been a while since we've all the chance to listen to to the Dan a Air guys whinge on about how evil BALPA and BA are. I've missed these pointless rants, they remind me of a bygone era. Can we also have some Trident tales too - those must due an airing too.

[BOAC]

Originally Posted by senior

I would hardly call

- me neither, hence the reasonably 'big bucks'. Still, at least you proved BALPA's valued legal advice wrong. Not that it was 'influenced' by the BACC, of course................

[Megaton]

This is a news story about a cabin crew dispute and is being used to rake up old animosities. It should be moderated to where it belongs.

[wiggy]

This is a news story about a cabin crew dispute and is being used to rake up old animosities. It should be moderated to where it belongs.

Yep, agreed. Whilst for some reason the OP couldn't resist a rant about BALPA the "Private Eye" article is very much about UNITE's behaviour, something the OP and the moderators seem seems to have either missed or want to play down.

[blind pew]

Juan...yes those were the days where you could vote a colleague onto the council and he would sell you out and join management whilst the ink was drying on the agreement.
And they could call you a count in front of Union witnesses ...pay the court and slander costs and be back in the office on Monday.....
Now what would you like to hear about the Trident...what a wonderful operation it was and all of the crashes were bad luck?
Or about the debutants, suspenders and Nicky nightstops?

[cvg2iln]

Yes, more of this please.

I agree with what he said. Attacking and attempting to kill each other with knifes and forks because the dynamics of seniority list integration is a zero sum game is a said deal - and sometimes even occurs 'in company' when the path to the front seat(s) opens to less than traditional candidates. Very Darwinian, very tribal. No surprises.

Suspenders and night stops. Now there's an avenue worth pursuing.

[Yankee Whisky]

BMI and BA

Reminds me of AC and CPA. It is unfortunate that the looser airline, given a chance to survive in a smaller role, is the ideal fallback position even if some employees loose their jobs. It could be worse !
It could be argued that, for quite some time, employees of the loosing airline
saw the writing on the wall and could have looked for work elsewhere.
It is my experience that loosing a job is a fact of life when business goes in the red and that is the chance we all must learn to take, as do the entrepreneurs having their personal capital committed, and grin and bear it.
It also indicates that aircrew should be prepared to accept work other than flying airplanes when the **** hits the fan ! It is called thinking ahead..............

[Vipersrt10]

This whole story reminds me of the Martinair takeover by KLM. The exact same thing happened and the former Martinair pilots are still fighting in court to get their seniority back! Maybe ex BMI pilots should try to contact ex Martinair pilots.

[FANS]

The harsh reality is that the BMI crews are fortunate to be employed, especially by a leading airline, given the basket case BMI became.

[Flying Clog]

And they didn't even have to go through the rigorous BA selection process - lucky chaps indeed!

[A and C]

A job but would you want it ?

Without doubt the Ex-BMI guys are lucky to still be employed and as such the terms are better than most who have had a company go bust under them, however there is anecdotal evidence that some of the old time BA trainers are on a BMI pilot hunt in the Sim.

There are tales of BMI guys getting a very hard time at OPC's & LPC's that is not justified by the normal professional standards, if this is the case I predict a very big legal case just over the horizon.

Before the Nigel mafia start on me I shoud point out I am not ex BMI and have never had any connection with BMI, I just object to abuse of professional standards to further a political end.

[Locked door]

Absolute codswallop. The BA training department has an anonymous feedback loop that prevents any such behaviour. They're far too professional to single out individuals anyway. Any under performing pilot will be given a hard time regardless of history.

I know a significant number of the ex BMI pilots struggled on conversion, it might be better to ask why.