British Airways Strike

[Kirishima]

British Airways Cabin Crew on strike from Dec 22 - 02 Jan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8411214.stm

Just my luck - supposed to be flying back to Shanghai on 30th December. Flying in on 20th, hope I get that flight!

Nice christmas present that! Anyone else affected?

[starchief]

I'm of a left-wing bent but British Airways is in such trouble, it should be about protecting as many jobs as possible. The strike can only harm the company and the staff eventually. Bad call by the workers.

[+Gringo]

When was the last time we had a Christmas / New Year period free of strike threats from the transport networks of the country / world? Its about time some folk were a little bit more thankfull they've got a fecking job.

[Guest]

British Airways Cabin Crew on strike from Dec 22 - 02 Jan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8411214.stm

Just my luck - supposed to be flying back to Shanghai on 30th December. Flying in on 20th, hope I get that flight!

Nice christmas present that! Anyone else affected?

Funny how people are isn't it? I posted once making a wee dig at posties going on strike and end up getting called a c0ck and all sorts. You post complaining about BA workers striking and no-one bats an eye lid.

[DornochCaley]

During the current economic crisis, no one should go on strike. We should all work together to get out of this as thats the only way they will get more money ect. Doing it now makes them look rather silly and the chances of them getting what they want are very slim. This action, i think, will also create reprecusions when/if it comes to them striking after the resecssion.

[Scotty]

not sure if it is propaganda from BA or not but I read somewhere that Virgin Atlantic cabin crew get paid ? as much as BA cabin crew? If that is true and they end up ruining christmas for a large number of travellers (and presumably the families they were coming to see or the holidays they were jetting off on) then there will be scant support for them.

[starchief]

I read recently that the cabin crew are also on one of the most lucrative contracts for their type of work too.

"Last month it revealed (BA) had lost ?292m in the first half of the year"

"its two pension schemes now have a combined deficit of ?3.7bn"

So, why the hell have two weeks of strikes during their busiest period? Would they prefer to negotiate with the dole office as to weekly or fortnightly?

[Georgeios]

How are BA going to pay these people when they are making losses every day... the unions are the ones killing off this company, I even hurd someone say... Virgin dont pay the aircrew as much and it just shows how under rated they are.... when was Virgin air on the news for being skint!! where do people get off this "we should be paid more because the company i work for is skint"

Look at what happened to Inverness out at Mcdermots.. lads struck all the time, so when it came to contracts, Companys looking to tap the oil as quick as possible went elsewhere to insure they had the jacket on time and not have to waste time and effort bargining with unions!!

Rant over

[Georgeios]

I read recently that the cabin crew are also on one of the most lucrative contracts for their type of work too.

"Last month it revealed (BA) had lost ?292m in the first half of the year"

"its two pension schemes now have a combined deficit of ?3.7bn"

So, why the hell have two weeks of strikes during their busiest period? Would they prefer to negotiate with the dole office as to weekly or fortnightly?

These people should be sacked and made to reapply for there jobs, we are all skint and now we have to pay and ruin our own xmas's for the greed of these idiots!! My brother in law is comeing up from london on the 21st, he was coming on BA.. now in fairness Easy jet and Flybe have raised there prices to cash in on this discrase, fair play to those companys but IMO BA's staff should be the ones paying for the extra My Bro in law has to fork out!! not BA. the staff!!!

[CaleyD]

Like it or not, people have the right to strike and we should be very careful when it comes to decrying their right to exercise those rights...or any other workers rights.

We can all be quick to decry such action when it impacts on our plans, but we can also be quick to support it when we are on the other side of the fence and feel we're being unfairly treated by an employer....and we'll all have an opinion as to how "sensible" employees are being when taking strike action.

Personally, I think the BA Staff are being a little naive. When the company you work for is barely managing to hang on by it's fingernails financially then the last thing you want to be doing is taking action which pushes them close to the edge. However, we should be very careful of using that as a reason to deny them their rights. As they say "Be careful what you wish for...you might just get it" and in the grand scheme of things, it would not do workers any good whatsoever to have their right to strike removed from them.

[Kirishima]

Yes CaleyD does make valid points.

My problem is that one less person on the plane, and a 2-year pay freeze, plus some extra working hours (within the law...so not going to be much) is hardly a reason to strike. Now if BA were making profits hand over fist, then I wouldn't be at all angry. However, as one industry spokesman said, it's time BA Cabin Crew joined the real world. They are far from being on minimum wage at 26k.

All i want is to go home to see my Mum and Dad, and BA Cabin Crew chose christmas to strike as they knew it was the most important time...for who? For families who try to be together maybe only once that year. Yeah, my heart bleeds for them.

[Caley Mad In Berks]

Sack all the striking cabin crew and start again.

[CaleyD]

Totally agree with you, Kirishima.

As I said, I think the staff are being a little (probably a lot) naive. They will get very little public support as a result of the timing of their action, or due to the fact that in current economic climes anyone earning a reasonable wage should be thankful.

I actually hope that BA can put together at least a skeleton staff in order to run as many flights as they can. Even if it means no in flight refreshments or meals etc can be managed, I'm sure it would be gratefully appreciated by travellers in the same boat as yourself.

There's a time for industrial action and there's a time when you just have to lump it or move on to work for someone else. Unfortunately it's very hard to govern a system which says when and where people have the right to do these things, especially in the private sector, and to try and change things would inevitably result in workers in this country losing more than they would ever gain.

[Kirishima]

I would happily go without food, drinks, etc as I completely understand BAs predicament. In fact, I would volunteer to help them serve drinks, clean, whatever in order to get home.

If i have to change my dates I am out of pocket 200 quid for my internal UK travel i booked separately, plus probably another 200 to re-do it all, not to mention that i have to be at work 8am on the 4th January or my job is threatened.

I just do not know how Unite and the Cabin Crew thought that this would be wise. BA is going to the wall if they don't pull together - and then what? Unite really are giving unions a bad rep.

[Kirishima]

Strike averted. Unite supposedly balloted workers that were leaving or had left. Having looked at all the videos, press releases etc, I got the impression Unite were more focussed on getting PR for themselves than the issues at hand. The video of when the ballot results were announced was akin to a city getting awarded the Olympics...very distasteful and unprofessional I thought, why celebrate ecstatically such a serious action, that should have been "regrettable" and "a last resort" and as for the smirking general secretary, well.

I hope BA and Cabin Crew can come to some amicable resolution without the obviously incompetent and wreckless Unite union.

[Snow]

Strike averted.

Phew, you must be very relieved.

[Kirishima]

Strike averted.

Phew, you must be very relieved.

Very!, but i'm waiting to see if Unite have any more tricks up their sleeves.

They are now talking about the fly globespan crash and on their website they say "Many crew are stranded overseas in Europe and beyond, extremely worried about how they will get home..." Very true...so was I thanks to Ubite!

I feel for Globespan employees and customers, i lost my job like that too, it's horrible. Scotty will be pretty down about it as I remember him saying it was very good for Canada - Scotland flights, so not a good week for ICT abroad at all...

[CaleyD]

News also seems to be surfacing that staff who had voted for strike action had not realised that it would take the form of a 12 day strike over the festive period. I have to say that it's very difficult to fathom what Derek Simpsons motivations are....every time I see him on the news he comes across as someone who seems to get off on the "power" he has, as opposed to being driven to do the right thing for the Unions members.

[TopSix]

They should just nationalise BA and be done of it.

[CaleyD]

With the money that's just been spent bailing out the banks, we couldn't afford to nationalise jack chit at the moment.

[Scotty]

I feel for Globespan employees and customers, i lost my job like that too, it's horrible. Scotty will be pretty down about it as I remember him saying it was very good for Canada - Scotland flights, so not a good week for ICT abroad at all...

Luckily Globespan was only one of many options available to us and I guess they are a victim of their own slide down the pecking order. I last flew with them probaly 8 years ago as Air Transat, Zoom, and "Canadian Affair" (which use Transat and Thomas Cook) took over their position.

However, it is sad to see any option go down the tubes as that tends to mean less competition and higher prices.

[TopSix]

With the money that's just been spent bailing out the banks, we couldn't afford to nationalise jack chit at the moment.

It's a tragedy that so many national assets were sold off for a fraction of their worth. Including BA.

[latviaman]

Well here is the Latvian expat with his three penny worth, or should that be Lats .. the way the economy here is going..

I worked for BA long haul for many years, my ex. and I emphasise ex, was a purser, we were, on different schedules, not allowed to fly together.

1. Cabin crew on long haul are on good perks, trust me!! Good o'night/ jet lag hotels .She was on 51K plus

2. Free drinks on board, so where do they all go??? Flight crew carry big bags and customs smile!! Think on it, (Unite)

3. Remember the purser is in charge, I hated minatures!!!

I belonged to BALPA, from the news there was a negotiated early retirement, for some pilots with an educated union.

I believe Unison manipulated the cabin crew, I did try when I was stuck in Moscow to find the Len, (Spokesman) guy on wikepedia, but no such luck

So now you in the UK are coming to a halt re' the weather, did euro star actually DIE??

Over here, weather is not a real problem, (Yes we have snow) we are not allowed to drive to work.. rather a crew bus picks us up.

We always have two crews here, on standby in the airport... so if we have a plane we can fly, mind you the a/c I was due to fly yesterday was stuck at Gatwick, we go.if we have a plane!!but Gatwick cannot cope with snow, so I waited and waited and then flight cancelled

So the weather here at the moment is ****,

All I can say is the reception from the nations 's broadcaster football wise, is poor, certain countries banned, ME!! in Particular

AS for nationalising B A ??? not an option. my thought

We are doing the tree at home , well Mrs Lat is!!

To everyone on this site, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I have really enjoyed the banter, the spelling errors pointed out by CB, Scotty sorting out my Faux Paux, and Caley d being Caley D

Latviaman

Edited December 20, 2009 by latviaman

[starchief]

1. Cabin crew on long haul are on good perks, trust me!! Good o'night/ jet lag hotels .She was on 51K plus

For a purser????

All I can say is the reception from the nations 's broadcaster football wise, is poor, certain countries banned, ME!! in Particular

Install HotSpotShield then. A free VPN. The Beeb will think you're in the USA or Germany.