I returned to work today after a brief break to discover this union press release sitting in a pile of mail for my attention. Not normally an issue I would pick up on professionally for publiciation, but from a customer point of view the changes claimed by the union do not look good.

Even reading between the lines (and bearing in mind this is a union press release and far from gospel truth) it would appear that management are set to get rid of some of the very best people in the business.

Any thoughts? I would be interested to hear BD's response to this.

Alastair


PR02/245 For immediate release - Tuesday 25th June 2002
Newsdesks: transport and industrial correspondents, aviation specialist
media
Cabin crew fury at bmi British Midland job cuts
A shock decision by bmi British Midland to abolish the top cabin crew rank of Flight Service Manager has prompted a furious reaction by their trade union, the British Airlines Stewards & Stewardesses Association (BASSA), part of the Transport and General Workers' Union, the UK's largest aviation
trade union.
The decision to axe the post after fourteen years will affect the fifty most senior short haul cabin crew at bmi bases at London Heathrow, East Midlands, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Teesside, Leeds Bradford, Dublin and Amsterdam.
Kevin Hall, the T&G's spokesman for the Flight Service Mangers (FSMs), said he understood the company intended to replace them with Cabin Service Performance Managers, who will fly 80% of the time as the Senior Cabin Attendant with 20% time free for performance management. 33 'new' jobs will be created on the same pay scale leading to union fears that this will mean
at least 17 of the most senior crew will lose their jobs. Current FSMs have been told they must attend assessment days and interviews to prove their suitability.
Mr. Hall said, "There is a strong suspicion that because the airline has insisted that the re-defined positions are incompatible with union representation, it is looking for an opportunity to dispense with those faces that no longer fit.
"However, the most pernicious aspect of this restructuring, is that those who are displaced are being threatened with redundancy, rather than being allowed demotion to the position of Flight Supervisor, which has always been the case in the past and is the standard aviation industry solution.
"We are not opposing the restructuring but we are opposing the compulsory redundancies for those who do not make it onto the final list of 33. We also remain open to talks with bmi to achieve a satisfactory solution to this dangerous situation."
Flight Service Managers have, according to BASSA, made a major contribution to bmi's success and the various awards it has won. It is believed that bmi's regular customers will be concerned should the most experienced crew, whose length of service varies from around 10 to up to 30 years, be turned out of the airline.
BASSA has taken the unusual step of offering its support to its rival Cabin Crew 89, as both unions will be severely affected. They are calling for the seniority of those who do not become Performance Managers to be respected by securing a demotion with either ring-faced pay or compensation for the
reduction in salary. There have been calls for industrial action as BASSA members, who are not affected by these changes, have suggested that the treatment of the FSMs may be the thin end of the wedge. Mr. Hall added that, "at this stage nothing was being ruled out or in. We do want to get a negotiated settlement to this though."
ENDS
For further information, please call the T&G Press office
Notes to the editor:
1. The Flight Service Manager was introduced in 1988 as an extra crew member who was responsible for service and PR on board. The position never really worked well and the Civil Aviation Authority was unhappy with the senior crew member not acting as the Senior Flight Attendant. Therefore, the FSMs were returned to the SCA jumpseat.
2. FSMs have not had any significantly different duties to the lesser rank of Flight Supervisor who also fly as SCAs for at least four years. They are in real terms merely senior SCAs and therefore ought not to be made redundant, as seniority is normally the guiding criterion for redundancies.
3. bmi is discriminating against part-time works as they have indicated that the job is not available on a reduced working hours basis, although they have since said that they will look at a job share scheme.
4. bmi is also discriminating against union representatives of both BASSA and CC89 by saying that those who are successful in becoming Performance Mangers will not be permitted to continue as shop stewards.
ENDS NOTES