AirbusA350

Well other than Facebook gossip (most of which turns out to be very far from the truth/reality anyway), certainly not received any official comms today from BA or MFU!

Otherwise wouldn’t have asked in the first place! Currently we’re both grappling logistics and changing diaries during a haphazard week filled with available days and juggling appointments!

Nonetheless, the inbox is frequently checked. So if indeed something has turned the corner over the weekend, then I’m glad and we await to hear the good news of stellar negotiating prowess by BASSA/MFU, if indeed any developments have finalised!

Can I help you

Well when he gets the latest you will know.

BOH

There are many benefits of employees having union representation! Just not when the leadership of a union is self-serving, belligerent and has a wider political agenda of his/her own. Then add in an outright, total refusal to take into account the wider market conditions a company was facing. Then when you add all this together it becomes a recipe for disaster for the members and it is always the members that sadly lose out.

I'm also old enough to remember the destruction of the NCB, British Leyland, Timex (Dundee) and many more from the 70s and 80s and historians and economists are in agreement that a too powerful, "no surrender" attitude union was a huge contribution to this. In just those 3 examples I give, the union leader(s) all fitted that profile I describe above to a tee.

History will tell us whether this was the case with the recent BA-BASSA-UNITE issues....but sadly I think many can already see a lot of similarities from the leadership perspective.

Still, onwards and upwards hopefully, let us pray that HMG find a way of introducing rapid testing on arrival very soon to try and get some pax numbers back for good. Or I fear BA will be on another round of cost reductions in the new year and no one wants that.

A P Yu

So in the absence of a new agreement, the current Mixed Fleet agreement is being used in the interim.

Can I help you

Yes but under protest, no alleviation has been given by BASSA yet but it is expected that it will be given for November only.

Bs65

But how many crew rosters may end up frequently being empty of flights over winter due to more countries shutting down again and schedules being cut. So whether adopting a MF like roster with few or no flights you might expect that would be the least worrying thing versus whether there could be a CR phase 2 despite any previous mitigation actions to retain jobs

Can I help you

I don’t disagree with you, only time will tell.

Bs65

So IAGs interim results for 3Q2020 and notice of capacity cut to 30 percent published in the press do not bode well for the upcoming winter. Seems bookings are simply not materialising which is not surprising given the government dithering over airport Covid tests and the ever changing restrictions. If you add into the mix a ballot of LHR airport staff for possible strike action seems aviation is in for a long hard uncertain winter.

Confus

Any word on whether/how BA plans to use the ‘not furlough but almost’ job support thingy from next week? I suppose they’ll easily pass the ‘affected big company’ test, but hopefully it’s not too harsh for whichever staff are affected.

Welcome On Board

Yes they’ve confirmed it’s their intention to use it but still working out the finer details of how exactly it will work as it’s quite a complicated scheme.

AirbusA350

Further adding to that point, they’ve asked department managers to “locally” look at how the scheme can work for them and the company as a whole. No word yet officially on how exactly it’ll be implemented for cabin crew though the intention has been expressed in IFCE too pending ongoing discussions with the unions.

13901

To be honest with you, I think many are looking forward to that. OH's November roster includes a 7-day, company-mandated unpaid holiday and an India trip that, with the new HMRC-based allowances, will yield £40 for the downroute period. There was a Seychelles flight but that has been cancelled; same fate happened to a SIN trip this month. Bottom line = she's looking at 2 months with little more than the basic salary. You can't live in London on that.

Bs65

At least your OH has one trip given have heard some people have no trips at all in November and they still have the months with the unpaid mitigation weeks to come in the following months. Add to that read on another forum volunteers required for even longer unpaid leave over winter than that negotiated as part of mitigation. Bottom line too many staff for an ever decreasing demand so a long hard winter coming up.

13901

Absolutely, but "count your blessings you have a trip" doesn't really make up for the loss. It's clear to me that if the government doesn't do something regarding testing on arrival, come Xmas there'll be more redundancies in the industry.

rapidex

Testing on arrival is only part of the problem. Mrs rapidex is desperate to go home to Thailand to see her Mum. We cant buy a ticket on BA, not with cash, Avios or On Business points. She would need to buy a seat on the once weekly very expensive That Airways flight, isolate on arrival BKK, also expensive, then fly home to CEI and isolate a second time.
Whilst her Mum is still ok, and we have video calling, she just does not wish to go through all that. In comparison, isolating here is no problem.