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-   -   Virgin Atlantic Pilot Strike Ballot (https://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/455226-virgin-atlantic-pilot-strike-ballot.html)

capt.storm 21st Jun 2011 08:23

Virgin Atlantic Pilot Strike Ballot
 
Now this has been all over the news but I rarly seen any information or comment on PPrune.

Does PPrune have a private agenda?

Virgin pilots 'to vote for strike' | Business | guardian.co.uk

Virgin Atlantic faces prospect of its first ever strike just as it celebrates landmark anniversary | Mail Online

pitotheat 21st Jun 2011 15:14

No hidden agenda just a bunch of professionals doing their best to avert a period of chaos to holiday makers over the summer. However, the vote just released is 97% in favour of industrial action. The last chance for an incompetent and arrogant management team to offer a fair deal. I suspect Mr Branson will have to get involved to reach a compromise. In any case a very solid and unequivocal result from the pilots.
Good luck to the flight crew.

londonmet 21st Jun 2011 15:15

Result in...

BBC News - Virgin Atlantic pilots vote to strike

airborne_artist 21st Jun 2011 15:53

From the Telegraph article:

"Virgin's captains are paid around £70,000 a year"

How accurate is that figure?

RoyHudd 21st Jun 2011 18:23

Media lies
 
The crass UK media get it wrong again, deliberately. Virgin do not focus on holidaymakers, and the strike timing is therefore unrelated to the cheap holidays of the great British unwashed to Disneyland, etc. Any old lies to flog newspapers and gain attention.

And good luck to you Virgin pilots. You've got more balls than your lily-livered colleagues at TUI, Thomas Cook and Monarch.

RoyHudd 21st Jun 2011 19:26

The contre-temps between Branson, an acknowledged pilot-envy sufferer, and "his" pilots should be fascinating.

The Big Easy 21st Jun 2011 20:20

Well done to the guys and girls at Virgin for having the bottle! Good luck in the coming months.

BOAC 21st Jun 2011 20:41

Anyone NOT convinced by 97%? I thought Mr Ridgeway looked quite haggard on tele tonight................

charlies angel 21st Jun 2011 20:43

Roy Hudd
Just remind me why "lily livered colleagues" at TUI, TCX and Monarch are requiring of a pair?
What is the TCX pay award in Apr 2012?
How about TUI and Monarch?
Facts please!

LD12986 21st Jun 2011 21:21


The crass UK media get it wrong again, deliberately. Virgin do not focus on holidaymakers, and the strike timing is therefore unrelated to the cheap holidays of the great British unwashed to Disneyland, etc. Any old lies to flog newspapers and gain attention.
Virgin do to a large extent focus on holiday makers. Look at how many 747s with 400+ pax they send to MCO at the weekend. Indeed, VS has been described as a holiday company with an airline attached.

Also, the press will always report (and sensationalise) stories like this through the impact on their own readers. That's their job. The impact on the business traveller flying at someone else's expense is of no concern to the press.

Not seeking to take any sides; just trying to explain.

I note from the FAQ on the Virgin website that they claim they will wet lease aircraft in the event of a strike. Where will they get these from?

Sir George Cayley 21st Jun 2011 21:57

Transparency is todays watchword. Everyone wants to see everything laid out in front of them.

In the case of the VS pilot workforce turning down 4% this year and 3% over the next 2 years, the missing bit is 4% of what?

I know it's a harsh world outside my fur lined rut so I swallow the bitter pill each year and accept sub RPI/CPI increments. Didn't BA pilots similarly swallow a couple of years back, hacking off BASSA at the same time?

Two questions, if answered honestly, will bring clarity to this discussion and as a consequence support from some and anti sentiments from others.

So, what is the spread of earnings p.a. for top of the scale down to entry level? And how many duty hours a year are worked on average to attain that income?

I feel support for their position if the ballot for industrial action is turned into a reality may be hard to come by outside of the industry. Nevertheless, the sight of the Bearded One stuttering over a TV interview could be worth it.

Sir George Cayley

TyroPicard 22nd Jun 2011 07:13

Sir George
It seems perfectly clear to the Virgin pilots....

fincastle84 22nd Jun 2011 07:59

Singapore Airlines won't be too happy as they strive to sell there 49% holding.

NWT 22nd Jun 2011 10:13

As is usual in all the crass reporting, a lot of facts are missed out. The dispute is not only about pay rises (or lack off) it is also about the incompetent managers and broken agrements....always more to a story....

X ONE 22nd Jun 2011 10:27

Any Virgin drivers know/want to list their exact demands on here to us mortals as there seems to be a few issues according to the guys I've spoken to??

PPRuNe Towers 22nd Jun 2011 10:35

All the salient issues have been discussed before on the site and long before the vote. The search engine will lead the way.

The VS pilots have done this before a good few years ago and have a very effective and pragmatic view of whether informing outsiders is a primary goal or not at any given time.

lexoncd 22nd Jun 2011 10:45

There are fundamental changes in the way we are used to seeing our remuneration rise in line with inflation or in the case here remaining static in turbulent times. The Public sector are coming to terms with changes in their penson schemes for example and taking action they believe is necessary.

The World is changing and for many the the way things used to be will forever change. An employer must make themselves attractive to retain the staff they require by matching market conditions. Similarly if the market rate is down then be prepared for tough times....

Not taking sides here just pointing out that there will be changes for many employees in the coming years and sadly I fear not for the better...

londonmet 22nd Jun 2011 11:19


Similarly if the market rate is down then be prepared for tough times....
What's the consensus on this then? Are airline pilots paid above or below what they should be?

What The 22nd Jun 2011 11:24

Airline Pilots are paid what they negotiate. Like any other profession.

londonmet 22nd Jun 2011 11:31

What the,

But if new start up airline "ABC airways" comes along paying its pilots 10% less than the current average and then your airline tries to negotiate a 4% uplift what are you told? "Nope, can't be done if we are to remain competitive".
The same could be said one year later by the pilots of "ABC airways". They could want the 10% to bring them up to the average plus the 4% the others are asking for.... They only get what they're given at the end of the day.

So although I partly agree with you what you say I believe isn't strictly true.


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