How would operating in LIS "interfere with Christmas"?

If you're on duty, your Christmas is not yours to have anyway.

If you're not on duty and decide to answer your phone, in order to work on days off, that is a different matter altogether.

In the latter example, you need to have really good reasons to break a strike, whilst working on days off over Christmas.

Narrow Runway - because your roster may have you working between 24 Dec and 26 Dec, that may be STBY or flights. easyJet operate very few flights throughout the network on Christmas Day . Historically, if you're UK based, you would more than likely be stood down from the Christmas Day STBY on 24th. With the strike dates being called on 24th and 26th there is a distinct possibility that some may spend their Christmas in LIS at short notice. Nothwithstanding any contingency plans the company may consider. Noone is talking about any easyJet crews volunteering to operate on days off.

I take your point that if you have a rostered duty, even if it be STBY on Christmas Day when there are no flights planned at your base, you still have a rostered duty and therefore Christmas Day is not your own. Nonetheless, particularly if you have young children it is going to be a significant disruption and disappointment to you and your family and this is the prospect many fear. The issue is that to be called to do a rescue flight is unfortunate but this is a deliberate choice of dates which some feel is poorly thoughtout and inappropriate as it may alienate your colleagues, others feel it will send the strongest signal to the company; the debate goes on.

No one is relishing this confrontation; not the company, not the LIS crews and not the crews called to operate.

One thing is for sure the company wont let the passengers suffer; one way or another the flights will operate.

The issues between the LIS crews and the company will be resolved. The bad feeling between crew called to operate over Christmas and the striking LIS crews will take a lot longer to mend. 'Divide and Rule' who's responsible this time!

In 1989 vitually all of the Australian pilots went on strike.

I was working for an airline with a strong Australian heritage in Europe.

I was, at the time, the Pilots' Representative.

I was rung up (on what used to be called a telephone) by the (Australian) boss at headquarters in UK. He wanted us to send six pilots to Australia to fly the Australian-registered aircraft and did I have any comments.

I said that I would not have any problem with them taking a couple of G-registered aircraft to Australia to work on a wet-lease. (wet-lease costs a lot of money and, historically, has hastened the return to the negotiating table by the employer). (In fact, Dan and Britannia sent a lot of aircraft and crews down there).

However, I was totally against six of our pilots going out to Australia to sit in the pilot's seat of an Australian-registered aeroplane.

I managed to dissuade the first six volunteers.

Really, all I had do was ask them how they would feel if a bunch of Australians turned up at the front gate to fly our aircraft.

However, I am ashamed to say that another six went out there and sat in Australian VH-registered seats.

I don't particularly like the scab word but this was as close as I can ever get to it.

So, let us get back to EZY LIS. Are the Lisbon aircraft CS-registered or G-registered?

That really is the crunch point. If they are all G-registered aircraft then the LIS crews cannot surely object to a UK-based crew flying the G-registered aircraft?

Likewise, the UK crew would be on very shaky grounds if they didn't get down there and do what they were rostered to do, however unpleasant the prospect may be.

For the UK pilots, the law is as it is. No sympathy strikes, and no refusal to carry out a legitimate request.

However, some one implied this is Tory Law. it's not. It is Blair/Brown Labour's law.

---Exactly---

JW411- Your first assertions were correct. It is irrelevant whether the aircraft are registered in Portugal or in the UK these days because the EU allows the use of flags of convenience. The Irish and UK register are popular. It will be devastating for the striking Pilots to see the Aircraft they normally fly being operated by BALPA guys.

I would certainly hope that no one would volunteer to fly trips that were supposed to be flown by pilots on strike.
That would be performing struck work and whoever does so would be a scab in any book.

But it's not that simple, is it?


I'm on SBY over the Christmas period, I don't really hold Christmas as that important to me. However, I know that a lot of my colleagues do, they have children and families.


So would I volunteer knowing that I could potentially save someone from missing their Christmas? Of course I would.

EpsilonVaz- To me, that you would volunteer is shocking and awful.

John_smith

I think the best thing is to ignore kungfu panda, as you rightly say he has absolutely no idea what he is talking about. Mischief making at its worst!

Nice gesture EpsilonVaz.

I understand the position of the UK based Pilots, if they are required by law to perform a duty which breaks the strike of colleagues. Pilots would not go on strike unless they felt that it was absolutely the final resort to achieve a fair solution.

To volunteer to break the strike of your colleagues is not a nice gesture.

I know that I am taking a lot of heat for my position but so be it. I also understand that my knowledge of Easyjet is limited but that does not prevent me having a view on Pilots breaking others Pilots industrial action.

It isn't mischief making it is expression of opinion.

Why can't people understand that under UK law you cannot refuse to do what the Company rosters you for just because you may be strike breaking - that is secondary action which is illegal. To refuse would be to open you up to dismissal and also financial proceedings against the individual and also the union if that is what is proposed. If ALL EZY pilots refused then possibly some effect would occur - a complete new set of pilots under even better ( for the Company ) terms, albeit after a huge amount of disruption and shut down. I bet the Company would find pilots willing to come in at short notice on those terms.

Much as sympathy may be felt to our colleagues on much reduced terms, very few are going to put their own livelihood and their families at risk are they?

Not directly replying to Kungfu's last post!!

UK pilots can always call in sick.

Kriskross, with that kind of thinking pilot unions would have never been created.
There is no excuse for breaking a strike of fellow pilots.

This is a good oportunity for all easy pilots to unite and fight, yes fight, for a companywide contract with the same T&C's at all the bases.
It's up to you guys.

I think you have misunderstood EpsilonVaz's post.

I work on a UK Contract. If BALPA vote on a strike in accordance with UK law, i would down tools and stand on the picket line without hesitation.

If a pilot on a Portuguese contract decides to strike, I, as stated clearly by others before me, have no mandate to join in that strike action as my union has not had a ballot on strike action and therefore I cannot go on strike under my UK contract.

Therefore, If my company call me out on Dec 23rd to go LIS to operate a flight on the 24th and night stop, I have no option but to comply with their instructions as this dispute is in a different country. If this situation were reversed, however, I would find it very hard to endorse the action as I know that the only people to be absolutely screwed over would be my colleagues.

What epsilonVaz is stating is that if I was called out to operate and therefore miss Christmas day with my children, EpsilonVaz would be willing to operate instead of me and therefore their actions are absolutely to be commended as I would not have another legal option.

Anybody who can not see the obstacles that crews based in another country on a different contract face does not have anything to contribute to this discussion:=

BTW I am on days off over XMAS for the first time in 5 years so this does not affect me directly but I am concerned for those crews that are on SBY!!

Well I am going to contribute to this conversation even if I am an unwelcome guest.

As I said previously I do understand the position of the UK based Pilots, but if they are required to strike break by Law they still need to be seen to take action. In my view (which I understand is not popular amongst the readers here), BALPA need to write to Easy management stating clearly that asking its members to travel to Lisbon in direct action to break a strike is a reprehensible request, which will effect good CRM for years to come, and that the requirement to do so is forced by a law which is not fit for purpose.

Easy management use the "Management friendly" laws of the UK to dictate terms to its Pilots therefore it is entirely understandable that Pilots based abroad should use local Labour Friendly laws in their negotiation for a fair contract.

secondary action
 

It doesnt surprise me that this sort of thing goes on in today's airlines,especially a disreputable one like easyjet that has pay-to-fly and divide and rule mentality.BTW,I'm a Brit and was flying when this sort of thing couldnt happen.The strike would have been called by the union in the name of all crews,not just those crews in one base,thus negating the very convenient secondary action clause that the UK pilots are using to look the other way.That is classic divide and rule.I see it as a sign of the times,a sort of microcosm of what is rotten in the airline industry as a whole.
I'm not a big union guy,never have been even when they were functional.But when a thing is wrong,then the union is a very important part of any employment dispute,whatever sector.Everything in moderation I say.We dont want to return to the 70's and see unions crippling the economy,but neither do we want the immorality of what is being allowed to happen here.