Last edit by: Tobias-UK
LATEST UPDATE: 7 July 2022
British Airway's employed ground staff, based mainly at LHR. have voted in favour of strike action in respect of a dispute relating to pay and conditions. This strike ballot is valid for 6 months, and allows the unions to nominate strike dates, provided the employer has 2 weeks notice of the strike. The general tendency in the UK is for relatively short strike dates, typically a day or two, but several of them separate by several days.
Updated: 7 July/2022, no strike dates have been provided and an agreement in principle has been reached with the Unions. Two weeks notice must be provided by the unions. This means there will be no strikes before 21 July 2022. However though the ballot is valid 6 months, the first strike needs to be within 4 weeks, which is 23 July 2022. This can extended by a further 4 weeks if the employer agrees, for example to facilitate a ballot of the agreement. So that suggests there won't be a strike in July and there may well be no strikes at all for this employment group.
Those involved in this strike are check-in staff, baggage handlers, lounge staff, gate agents, some turnaround managers, and related airport staff. Cabin and flight crew are not in this dispute. LGW and LCY flights are not in this dispute. Contract ground agents - at LHR and out stations - are also not involved. Some roles can be performed by management, but it is unlikely that core activties at LHR Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 can avoid significant disruption. If flights are disrupted by strkes then usually BA allows people to move their flights to alternative dates and other arrangements (e.g. rebooking on AA). There is a separate dispute being worked through involving call centre staff and engineers, but there is no ballot at this point, so any strike is some way off.
British Airway's employed ground staff, based mainly at LHR. have voted in favour of strike action in respect of a dispute relating to pay and conditions. This strike ballot is valid for 6 months, and allows the unions to nominate strike dates, provided the employer has 2 weeks notice of the strike. The general tendency in the UK is for relatively short strike dates, typically a day or two, but several of them separate by several days.
Updated: 7 July/2022, no strike dates have been provided and an agreement in principle has been reached with the Unions. Two weeks notice must be provided by the unions. This means there will be no strikes before 21 July 2022. However though the ballot is valid 6 months, the first strike needs to be within 4 weeks, which is 23 July 2022. This can extended by a further 4 weeks if the employer agrees, for example to facilitate a ballot of the agreement. So that suggests there won't be a strike in July and there may well be no strikes at all for this employment group.
Those involved in this strike are check-in staff, baggage handlers, lounge staff, gate agents, some turnaround managers, and related airport staff. Cabin and flight crew are not in this dispute. LGW and LCY flights are not in this dispute. Contract ground agents - at LHR and out stations - are also not involved. Some roles can be performed by management, but it is unlikely that core activties at LHR Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 can avoid significant disruption. If flights are disrupted by strkes then usually BA allows people to move their flights to alternative dates and other arrangements (e.g. rebooking on AA). There is a separate dispute being worked through involving call centre staff and engineers, but there is no ballot at this point, so any strike is some way off.
BA ground staff at LHR: Summer '22 strike threat suspended after deal agreed
#151
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: British Airways GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond & Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,615
#152
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: British Airways GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond & Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,615
Leave and go where mate? These people have bills to pay, families to support. The power balance between employer and employee is inherently skewed towards the employer unless one is fortunate enough to be in a position where the mortgage is paid in full, the dependents have moved out of the house, and there's sufficient savings in the bank that one can simply walk out without consequence. For the vast majority of people in this country that is not the case, and it's only the combination of employment law and the risk of union action acting as a bulwark against the worst excesses of boardrooms across the country who are incentivised to drive down wages minimise bottom line expenditure in order to maximise the share price and trigger their own inventive payouts.
The fact that the union ballot is overwhelmingly in favour of strike action suggests that this is not childish at all but is either a colossal example of groupthink in action, or (vastly more likely IMO) a genuine sense of injustice amongst the workers upon whose labour the business depends.
If you think that your holiday is more important than the ground staff having to choose between feeding their kids and heating their homes this winter then I don't know what to say to you.
The fact that the union ballot is overwhelmingly in favour of strike action suggests that this is not childish at all but is either a colossal example of groupthink in action, or (vastly more likely IMO) a genuine sense of injustice amongst the workers upon whose labour the business depends.
If you think that your holiday is more important than the ground staff having to choose between feeding their kids and heating their homes this winter then I don't know what to say to you.
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
#153
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 64,064
In July I wouldn't be surprised, this happens every year there isn't a pandemic on. But there is availability to LCY and some CE availability to LHR (e.g. 14 July). Typically on that route more availability will show up if flights are not full in the 2 - 3 days before departure, but at the moment flights are operating close to 100% full.
#154
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 169
Obviously we all hope for an amicable solution and movement from both sides on this issue, but if all 700 did as you childishly suggest and leave BA there will even more ruined holidays and damage for BA.
#155
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: BA Bronze :(
Posts: 65
You know a key reason we have low unemployment in this country is due to the flexible labour market. If you don't like your job, go and interview elsewhere. Lots of BA staff learnt this during the pandemic...
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
I'm not exactly what you call pro-union but I find it highly ironic that you say unions are just bullies. I forgot BA was the victim here, massively ramping up fares to take advantage of the insane demand this year, while also witholding pay from staff at the same time. And no, a 10% one off payment is not even close to good enough, that should be a bonus on top of their original wage for having to take up the slack post axe swinging.
Staff who've been good enough to stay loyal, or forced to stay with BA because they have no other options are essentially almost 20% worse off in real terms than they were in 2019. That is ridiculous.
#156
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: BA GGL & GfL, AA LTP, Marriott (sigh) Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold, Avis Preferred
Posts: 3,262
#157
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,649
You know a key reason we have low unemployment in this country is due to the flexible labour market. If you don't like your job, go and interview elsewhere. Lots of BA staff learnt this during the pandemic...
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
#158
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: BA Gold, HHonors, Virgin
Posts: 766
You know a key reason we have low unemployment in this country is due to the flexible labour market. If you don't like your job, go and interview elsewhere. Lots of BA staff learnt this during the pandemic...
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
#159
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Munich, Algarve, Sussex or S.F Bay Area
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, A3*Gold, AA Plat, HH Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,190
You know a key reason we have low unemployment in this country is due to the flexible labour market. If you don't like your job, go and interview elsewhere. Lots of BA staff learnt this during the pandemic...
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
Healthy labour markets and free business is based on competition, choice and flexibility. Unions are just bullies who wait until the time to screw people over comes and then go on strike. They dont create anything, they dont invest in anything, they just take take take.
Other "less flexible" economies like France, Germany and Italy are also running near full employment right now.
The threat of industrial action is IMHO due to BA exercising it's "flexibility" during the pandemic and the poorly-treated employees exercising their "flexibility" now the tables are turned.
I will turn your arguments around. In a free economy where you suddenly need additional staff to cope with increased demand, the usual path would be to increase or otherwise improve the package offered to existing and new employees. Now, how about careful planning for that in advance so that those poorly-treated staff are not also expected to put in extra shifts and longer hours. This situation was certain to result in industrial unrest and I suspect the package BA will end up giving these staff will cost more than if they'd just been open, fair and honest in the first place. Why does BA always do things this way, regardless of who is CEO this week?
#160
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: UK
Programs: BA Silver, IHG Platinum
Posts: 946
Low unemployment is also part of the reason BA (and the airports, in fairness) find themselves short staffed. Quite simply, people are not interested in working for them and the compensation on offer will be a huge factor in that. There is better available elsewhere.
I have seen moans from airlines about Brexit reducing their candidate pool. This is true, it has to be said, but I fear what they really mean is "we can't just hire people from poorer countries that will take low wages now".
I have seen moans from airlines about Brexit reducing their candidate pool. This is true, it has to be said, but I fear what they really mean is "we can't just hire people from poorer countries that will take low wages now".
Last edited by Bohinjska Bistrica; Jun 24, 2022 at 9:14 am
#162
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 14
Okay. My first time ever flying BA. Ha! We are due to return (VCE-LHR-BOS) on July 23/24 (evening flight to LHR, overnight at airport, LHR-BOS in a.m. of the 24th), which is squarely in the bullseye of possible strike target dates. I'm trying to just be prepared & understand my options in the event of a strike Already plan to do carry-on only. So two questions:
--Does American Airlines have its own ground staff at Heathrow? There is an AA LHR-BOS flight that leaves at the same time, and would jump on that if we could.
--We are flying Business Class. If our BA flight to BOS still goes out (I have read elsewhere that long haul flights are ones that they try to maintain), then does anyone think this would be helpful in avoiding the inevitable check-in carnage?
ETA: Just checked my booking and BA canceled my VCE to LHR flight and didn't book me any replacement! Wow, they suck (apparently no business class flights available on the next earlier flight).
--Does American Airlines have its own ground staff at Heathrow? There is an AA LHR-BOS flight that leaves at the same time, and would jump on that if we could.
--We are flying Business Class. If our BA flight to BOS still goes out (I have read elsewhere that long haul flights are ones that they try to maintain), then does anyone think this would be helpful in avoiding the inevitable check-in carnage?
ETA: Just checked my booking and BA canceled my VCE to LHR flight and didn't book me any replacement! Wow, they suck (apparently no business class flights available on the next earlier flight).
Last edited by jmasgat; Jun 24, 2022 at 11:47 am
#163
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,951
Okay. My first time ever flying BA. Ha! We are due to return (VCE-LHR-BOS) on July 23/24 (evening flight to LHR, overnight at airport, LHR-BOS in a.m. of the 24th), which is squarely in the bullseye of possible strike target dates. I'm trying to just be prepared & understand my options in the event of a strike Already plan to do carry-on only. So two questions:
--Does American Airlines have its own ground staff at Heathrow? There is an AA LHR-BOS flight that leaves at the same time, and would jump on that if we could.
--We are flying Business Class. If our BA flight to BOS still goes out (I have read elsewhere that long haul flights are ones that they try to maintain), then does anyone think this would be helpful in avoiding the inevitable check-in carnage?
--Does American Airlines have its own ground staff at Heathrow? There is an AA LHR-BOS flight that leaves at the same time, and would jump on that if we could.
--We are flying Business Class. If our BA flight to BOS still goes out (I have read elsewhere that long haul flights are ones that they try to maintain), then does anyone think this would be helpful in avoiding the inevitable check-in carnage?
#164
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: UK
Posts: 584
corporate-wage-slave I thought the 10% is only a bonus but the strike is because they are not returning to the pre pandemic salaries that they were promised. What fool allows a company to get 4bn in debt!!!
#165
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Dublin,Ireland and Nice France
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,073
corporate-wage-slave I thought the 10% is only a bonus but the strike is because they are not returning to the pre pandemic salaries that they were promised. What fool allows a company to get 4bn in debt!!!
The rest is pandemic losses
I'm surprised it's not bigger tbh
The strikers demand is to restore a 10% pay cut implimented during that loss making 18 months
Last edited by Earthman; Jun 25, 2022 at 6:17 am