elitetraveler

When BA came up with MF, was there a reason that the group elected to be represented by Unite instead of BASA. It would seem that having a single union for all cabin crew would have provided more negotiating leverage with management?

Also, is there a reason Unite/MF hasn't sought to have other workers "not cross" their picket line and honor their action, or is it a different system in the UK -- I'm thinking about US strikes.

Waterhorse

Interesting comment, remaining in the hotel on a legal strike. Who will be paying for this hotel? The union? The individual striker? Will that hotel room be available for occupancy by a striker? BA have no liability to pickup the hotel costs of a striker so they will have to arrange their own hotel room and pay for it. The legality of strikes is fine, it only means you are protected in the sense that IF you are sacked for striking you will automatically win at a tribunal which can recommend but not enforce reemployment. It can award limited and defined damages for such a dismissal. Whilst on a legal strike you are not guaranteed a hotel room at someone else's expense, nor are you guaranteed repatriation at someone else's expense. The right to strike does not give you the right to expect that you can do financial damage to a company and he company has no options - for example you do not get paid for those days you strike, which is why the unions pay strike pay.

There are many reasons the unions do not ask crew to strike down route, and the unions, oddly enough, have researched it before now and have taken legal advice.

bwaflyer

A 1996 vintage Nokia on a lanyard is handed out to each crew member on standby. We hang around the Crew Centre for 6 hours twiddling our thumbs, having a snooze, nattering and so on. We get called out generally to report immediately for up to three days away (on Eurofleeet, Mixed Fleet have different rules).

Tafflyer

One must have to love the job to accept that. Private life can't have anything really planned in advance unless you have vacation booked. Another reason why even 21K p.a. isn't enough, if that's even what you get.

Fully behind MF.

sxc

I assume you are paid the hourly rate while on reserve though?

NWIFlyer

It is all the same union - BASSA is merely a division of Unite.

You'll find lots of posts up-thread explaining exactly why encouraging other workers not to cross a picket line is illegal in the UK, where we have some of the strictest union rules in the Western world.

Ber2dca

BA argues 21k is the minimum, the union says thats more 18k. But what's the average for someone 5-10 years in? I wouldn't be shocked if some of the older FAs make fairly decent money.

elitetraveler

Ok, thanks -- but am I correct MF is not part of BASSA?

Door1Left

MF crew are paid the hourly rate whilst on airport standby, standby at the airport is maximum 6 hours and we could be called at anytime during that period for long or short haul. It could be a simple there and back or it could be the 9 day SIN/SYD. Standbys start at various points throughout the day to cover specific long haul trips (short hauls are easier to cover owing to the reduced duty hours generally). Should a crew member be called out off airport standby, their duty starts at the time they started airport standby so the longer they are on standby the more restrictive it becomes in what they can be called for.

BASSA do not represent MF crew, we are represented by MFUnite. Both are branches of UNITE the union, but operate separately.

The strikes so far have been interesting for both sides. BA have claimed it has made no impact at all, however they have had to absorb the financial burden of chartering in up to 5 aircraft from the likes of Titan, Thomson and Vueling. They say they have cancelled no flights, which on the day of strikes is true but they have tactically cancelled days before, therefore making the figures look more appealing to them. Crew not rostered to fly, for example home standbys, available a, training, ground duty days have all been changed to airport standby. Flights have gone below normal crewing levels and the initial round of strikes had service changes, I.e. No F service on selected long hauls and simplified club world meal service. So in essence it has disrupted the company, but not enough to warrant action or media attention.

On the other side of the fence, in comparison to total numbers of crew on MF, only a small number have actually taken industrial action. For those that did strike, there are consequences which they have been made aware of (loss of daily pay, loss of bonuses, loss of staff travel benefits). For CSM's the losses are greater, perhaps a reason why only a handful of CSM's actually striked.

Regards
D1L

rossmacd

Very retro

Thank you for clarifying.

Worcester

I can't answer specifics about BA/UNITE/BASSA but the Strike laws in the UK are very restrictive dating back to the 1970s when the unions were heavily involved in politics and were accused of using their members for political ends.

BA has split it's workforce into separate entities each with it's own terms and conditions (I am not entirely sure this is legal, but I am no lawyer). Only one part (MF) has voted to strike. The other parts can not go out on sympathy strikes, they cannot go on the picket lines as that is classed as secondary picketing. These actions are not illegal, but the legal protections given to striking workers do not extend to secondary action (I believe not not sure on this so bare with me, that BA could sack sympathy strikers and secondary picketers quite legally).


UNITE-MF & BASSA are both branches of UNITE, but as they represent workers from different legal entities I believe they have to be represented by separate branches.


I prefer the Nordic model of Unions which are broad based and have (in my opinion) done a far superior job of maintaining and improving workers rights. Unite is a deeply political organisation and gets mixed up in a variety of side issues (such as Palestine solidarity or the leadership of the Labour party) which again in my opinion distract from the job the Union should be doing.

Globaliser

May I please ask what happens on WW?

I can see how it's just part of the job if every time you're rostered for airport standby, you can expect potentially to be away on a 3-day trip and therefore need to plan your life on that basis. That's not much different from simply being rostered that day to operate a 3-day trip.

But I imagine that it's as difficult for crew as it is for the rest of us to plan to be away for 9 days, and that it could be very difficult and disruptive to have to expect potentially to be away for 9 days every time you're rostered for airport standby. Is this just the sort of thing that WW has to put up with as well if they're on airport standby? Or do they have different rules?

sxc

I think that's just the nature of the job. My cabin crew friends (non BA) hate reserve exactly for this reason.

Can I help you

On WW we don't do airport standby, we either do 45 minute standby in 8 hour blocks from an airport hotel for which we are paid full allowances or 2 hour standby from home.

makin'miles

So I realize that Unite needs to give seven days notice of strike option, but at what point can staff decide to walk off the job?

Could crews of MF report for duty on strike days, go through the crew briefing, board half the passengers and then decide to walk off the job? Even with additional staff on duty at the airport, this would be disruptive to BA operations and would delay flights, particularly if all/a significant portion of cabin crew walked off. It would also potentially lead to more media coverage, which the union may view as favourable.