Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

BA Cabin Staff to Strike through Xmas

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • BA Cabin Staff to Strike through Xmas

    British Airways Cabin crew have voted to strike from the 22nd December through to January 2nd.

    I hope this strike will be averted but if it goes through it is estimated that it will cost BA £300 million and as the airline is already projecting a £600 million loss this financial year after losing £400 million last this will surely be a devastating blow.
    Last edited by cja; 2009-12-14, 15:13.



  • #2
    Much more of this insanity and Virgin Atlantic will wind up as the UK flag carrier.
    If it 'ain't broken........ Don't try to mend it !

    Comment


    • #3
      and people talk about US unions...

      maybe if they strike long enough, they can strike themselves right out of their jobs...

      Comment


      • #4
        I had planned to return to my native England next Tuesday, 22 December, just in time to spend Christmas with the family. I was due to fly flight 2036 from Orlando to Gatwick, but without any hassle, the airline accommodated me an alternative flight of my choosing, and I have now opted to travel this Wednesday instead.

        I am with British Airways on this one. A once great airline is now failing miserably and losses are spiralling out of control. For the sake of British Airways, its staff and its future, the changes that have been proposed are fair (at least, I think so anyway). Why should the airline industry be any different to any other? Before commencing flight training at the beginning of the year, I worked in banking back in the UK. I used to nervously go into work, not knowing if my job would still be there or not. I was always hearing of job cuts elsewhere within the company and thought it would only be a matter of time before I too was given the push.

        These people ought to be grateful that they have a job and they also need to be aware that actions have consequences. Should this strike go ahead, it could be catastrophic for the airline. If British Airways should go under, the sulking, ungrateful staff would go with it.

        Comment


        • #5
          And this is exactly the problem that aviation workforces have when they try to defend their industrial postions - everyone assumes they are greeding and trying to grab cash. It is not always the case.

          Lets start by remembering this - it is in the WORKERS interests, FAR more than the executives, that British Airways survives. For the management, if it folds, they'll move on to the next bonus paying assignment. It is the longterm workforces, like the groundstaff, pilots and cabin crew, that have the most invested in the airline., and the most to lose. They aren't "skulking, ungrateful staff"... they are the lifeblood of the airline who have invested their whole lifetimes and careers into the airline. How many of the executive have done that?

          With this in mind, lets consider a few points. Before the GFC, BA was a profit making entity. Largely so. In 5 years, it is more than probable that the industry will be back going from strength to strength, and BA will be making money.

          With this in mind, the Cabin Crew offered BA a package providing over SIXTY MILLION pounds in savings. Thats right, over 60 million. That is more than double any other group in BA has saved. That was flatly rejected. You must ask yourself why.

          The simple answer is this. The executive is not considering BA in 6 months time, they're looking at it in 5 to 10 years time. BA aren't happy with saving money now... they want to ensure that, while they have the opportunity, they can also slash conditions so that in 5 years time, when the airline is once again in strength, the workers remain at the lower standard. Total pig-headed opportunism by upper level management, and they're not the only airline doing it.

          Cynical? Absolutely. But its been shown time and time again that this is what these people do.

          I am not, for a minute, doubting their financial troubles. However I will bet my bottom dollar that they are insisting on a permanant reduction in condition, not one that will get them through the worst times. If a package was proposed where everyone took a pay cut for 2 years, but then was immediately back onto their standard wage and current conditions when times were good again, I'll bet it would be immediately accepted. But that is not how these people work.

          I'll bet the CEO and executive packages haven't been permanantly slashed, only temporarily reduced until times are good. It is reasonable to expect the same for the workers.

          As to the strike - the Cabin Crew know full well what it means. They know how much trouble the airline is in. All they want is the company to come back to the negotiating table. As I said before, THEY are the ones who actually have an interest in the company surviving, NOT the executive and managers. They can easily find another job. The Cabin Crew can't. There is no way this strike will actually occur, and if it does, its an example of big business management acting unreasonably.

          Comment


          • #6
            MCM.

            I tend to agree with you with what you say. I think 95% voted for action and I can not beliive that this group of people would do so lightly and without severe provocation.

            If I were a shareholder I would be asking real questions about the capability of the top management at BA who seem to lurch from one disaster to the next. A strike like this just can not be allowed to take place.
            My better half works at the luxury end of the travel market where most clients travel in Club and First and I hate to think what the tour operators are going through today rebooking all those christmas holiday customers on alternative airlines. The knock on effect on economies that expect a Christmas tourist boom could also be significant if people end up having to cancel their plans given a lack of necessary Air Lift over the holidays. The cost of any strike will affect a lot of businesses all over the world not just BA.


            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by cja View Post
              MCM.

              I tend to agree with you with what you say. I think 95% voted for action and I can not beliive that this group of people would do so lightly and without severe provocation.

              If I were a shareholder I would be asking real questions about the capability of the top management at BA who seem to lurch from one disaster to the next. A strike like this just can not be allowed to take place.
              My better half works at the luxury end of the travel market where most clients travel in Club and First and I hate to think what the tour operators are going through today rebooking all those christmas holiday customers on alternative airlines. The knock on effect on economies that expect a Christmas tourist boom could also be significant if people end up having to cancel their plans given a lack of necessary Air Lift over the holidays. The cost of any strike will affect a lot of businesses all over the world not just BA.

              I can see the strike both ways as, BA is in a really bad position financially, what was a very profitable airline just two years ago and was still profitable in mid-2008, is expected to lose a ton of money this year and I agree drastic changes had to be made.

              Here's BA's 2007/2008 financial report: http://www.britishairways.com/cms/gl...rt_2007_08.pdf

              and the mid-2008/2009 report article: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_n31312792/


              However, the BA Cabin Crew didn't just strike for the heck of it. They were one of the best paid cabin crews in Europe, until August. BA has cut their salary, put in a 2 year pay freeze, laid off 1,700 flight attendants, reduced "redundancy" by moving 3,000 flight attendants from full-time to part-time positions, and has removed their food benefits. The flight attendants are probably one of the hardest hit worker sectors for BA. Hopefully, they will get the issued resolved, one of the reasons why I used to fly BA was because of their good service.

              Regards,

              Rohan

              Comment


              • #8
                let me preface the following with this statement: i am not sure i even agree with unions--their existence that is.

                having said that, i was a union delegate for over 10 years back when i was a medic in NYC. i hated the union but did what i did for my co-workers. i represented the individuals and could care less about the body itself.

                unions sometimes do things that are not only bad for the workers, but bad for the company as well.

                on the other hand, how many cuts have BA management made to their own positions and salaries and bonuses? i have a good friend that is a flight attendant for AA. several years ago the unionized workers at AA gave in to cuts to save the airline including pay cuts, freezes etc--pilots and others. AA made it through the storm and despite the promise that the cuts were temporary and the workers would be re-paid, that has not occurred. not surprisingly, the executives continued to get their sky high pay and bonuses.

                why would BA be any different.

                I think the strike is a mistake, but then again, management isprobably to blame for the whole fiasco.

                Comment


                • #9
                  That the only reaction of the BA management is to wheel in the lawyers and avoid any attempt to reach a compromise to avert the strike speaks volumes. If the court finds in their favour today all the union needs to do is take another balot..

                  Breif but interesting reading reagrding the track record of the current CEO of BA
                  Last edited by cja; 2009-12-16, 09:16.


                  Comment


                  • #10
                    A narrow view maybe but what's their average pay at the low end again. Ah yes, around 29k per annum. If a cabin crew member makes a mistake, i.e. wrong meal served, spill a drink etc. they get a pissed off passenger and maybe a bollocking from the purser.

                    Just checking my payslip....oh look, around 29k per annum.....

                    .....but if I make a mistake, someone dies. I lose my professional registration and therefore my job. In an extreme case I could even go to prison !

                    Rather puts it into perspective dontcha' think ?

                    Sorry cabin crew...you may have an asshole of a chief exec to answer to...but at least you'll have a well paid job. Take the cuts on the chin, don't strike now, wait until promised reinstatement of cuts doesn't happen.....and THEN strike. You'll get a lot more public support in that scenario. Right now, the only place you'll be standing united is in the dole queue.
                    If it 'ain't broken........ Don't try to mend it !

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by brianw999 View Post
                      A narrow view maybe but what's their average pay at the low end again. Ah yes, around 29k per annum. If a cabin crew member makes a mistake, i.e. wrong meal served, spill a drink etc. they get a pissed off passenger and maybe a bollocking from the purser.

                      Just checking my payslip....oh look, around 29k per annum.....

                      .....but if I make a mistake, someone dies. I lose my professional registration and therefore my job. In an extreme case I could even go to prison !

                      Rather puts it into perspective dontcha' think ?

                      Sorry cabin crew...you may have an asshole of a chief exec to answer to...but at least you'll have a well paid job. Take the cuts on the chin, don't strike now, wait until promised reinstatement of cuts doesn't happen.....and THEN strike. You'll get a lot more public support in that scenario. Right now, the only place you'll be standing united is in the dole queue.
                      Brian,
                      from what I understand there is no suggestion that the new terms and conditions are not a permenant arrangement rather than a short term gesture to save the business.


                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- British Airways Plc won a court order preventing a 12-day strike by cabin crew that would have disrupted travel for more than 1 million people over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

                        Judge Laura Cox in London ruled that a strike vote held by the Unite union was invalid because it included people who had already agreed to leave the airline. While Unite plans to stage a fresh poll, it must give at least a week’s notice, making a walkout before next year unlikely.

                        The strike by 13,000 flight attendants at Europe’s third- largest airline was scheduled to begin on Dec. 22 after the failure of months of negotiations about staffing levels. BA and the union are holding separate talks to seek a lasting agreement.

                        “A strike of this kind over the 12 days of Christmas is fundamentally more damaging to BA and the wider public than a strike taking place at almost any other time in the year,” Cox said.

                        British Airways said today it was “delighted” that the strike threat had been lifted and urged Unite to reflect before deciding on its next steps. The union said the High Court decision represented “a dreadful day for democracy.”

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Sorry cabin crew...you may have an asshole of a chief exec to answer to...but at least you'll have a well paid job. Take the cuts on the chin, don't strike now, wait until promised reinstatement of cuts doesn't happen.....and THEN strike.
                          I think the point Brian is that they'd like to stay well paid.

                          They won't even promise reinstating conditions... no-one is that naieve. And once they're gone, they'll never get them back, plain and simple.

                          Again, they offered BA over 60 Million in cuts - more than any other group in BA, and they laughed it off. This isn't a case of cutting to stay alive by BA, this is a tactical massacre of conditions for 5 to 10 years time.

                          At 29k, you are grossly underpaid. It is a sad thing, but people in your profession so often are... but I don't see why that means we should be trying to "bring them down". We should be seeing BA as a beacon of what we should all be trying to attain, and raising ourselves to their level. BA could afford it for decades, and will be able to in the future. We should be supporting them against the continual and disgraceful attempts by CEOs around the world to cut conditions and pocket the savings for themselves.

                          Just like we should be supporting you in your claims for fair pay for the work you do.

                          Ironically, you should understand this the most - airline staff never get public support when they threaten strikes (always them being greedy), and likewise, nor do medical services people, as people say they are putting others lives at stake for meer money. Neither of us will ever win.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            MCM



                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by brianw999 View Post
                              If a cabin crew member makes a mistake, i.e. wrong meal served, spill a drink etc. they get a pissed off passenger and maybe a bollocking from the purser.
                              I was of the belief that there was a large safety element to their job and it follows that if someone died due to a cabin crew mistake then the same could happen to them as to you Brian......so maybe both Paramedics and BA cabin crew are worth more than 29k

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X