Jun 24, 2022, 4:09 pm
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
Jun 20, 2022, 6:50 am
#46
Join Date: Dec 2021
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 35
Exactly, BA and its contractors can barely get enough employees to work for them, let alone be firing them.
The remuneration being offered for some of these airport jobs is ridiculously low, eg. 20k for baggage handler jobs at LHR with Swissport, early starts and late finishes, working outside in all weathers, and the wear and tear it has on their backs and bodies. I'd hate to be travelling with BA in July and get caught up in this, but if the staff revolt who are working day and night on these wages, I don't blame them.
I realise in this case the potential strike is concerning management, but some of these airport jobs are hard work for very low pay.
The remuneration being offered for some of these airport jobs is ridiculously low, eg. 20k for baggage handler jobs at LHR with Swissport, early starts and late finishes, working outside in all weathers, and the wear and tear it has on their backs and bodies. I'd hate to be travelling with BA in July and get caught up in this, but if the staff revolt who are working day and night on these wages, I don't blame them.
I realise in this case the potential strike is concerning management, but some of these airport jobs are hard work for very low pay.
I can see why staff feel frustrated, it just does not add up!
As a customer I feel frustrated. I'd happily pay another £50 on a £1000 long haul ticket if it meant that staff got paid fairly, and in return that built a better business model where there was less queuing/pain/hassle etc at airports!
Jun 20, 2022, 7:30 am
#47
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,237
You're spot on - most of these jobs seem to be around £11/hr. In London where a small 1 bed flat costs £350k. And with shifts that start at 5am where you then have to pay for parking and so on!
I can see why staff feel frustrated, it just does not add up!
As a customer I feel frustrated. I'd happily pay another £50 on a £1000 long haul ticket if it meant that staff got paid fairly, and in return that built a better business model where there was less queuing/pain/hassle etc at airports!
I can see why staff feel frustrated, it just does not add up!
As a customer I feel frustrated. I'd happily pay another £50 on a £1000 long haul ticket if it meant that staff got paid fairly, and in return that built a better business model where there was less queuing/pain/hassle etc at airports!
Unfortunately, it won't change until investors demand so. But even that is unlikely, for the one and only question analysts ask is how are the airlines keeping costs down. Look at the post immediately above yours; the riot among investors is because of IAG wanting to raise its own share benefit scheme, not workers' pay.
Jun 20, 2022, 1:59 pm
#48
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,061
I’m not saying wages aren’t too low, far from it. Just that it’s not as simple as saying we should all agree to pay more.
Jun 20, 2022, 2:19 pm
#49
Join Date: Dec 2021
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 35
The problem is that it’s an unequal marketplace. Airlines tend to hire the most staff in their major hubs, so BA in the UK would have a higher cost base than a carrier based in a low-wage (often also low-safety) economy. So without international regulation equalising price rises, your £50 to BA might only need to be £20 to another carrier, which skews the market.
I’m not saying wages aren’t too low, far from it. Just that it’s not as simple as saying we should all agree to pay more.
I’m not saying wages aren’t too low, far from it. Just that it’s not as simple as saying we should all agree to pay more.
Other problem is consumers seem to have short memories. They take a flight with easybudget2jet airlines, loads of queues, loads of hassle, pay £35 for a cup of tea on board and then moan when bags are extra.
Yet when their next holiday comes around, they simply sort SkyScanner by price and easybudget2jet airlines are £10 cheaper than BA, so they fly with easybudget2jet again!
From what I understand the likes of EasyJet and RyanAir are actually some of the most 'successful' airlines out there - they generate far more profit/share holder return than the likes of BA. And as airlines are fundamentally businesses that is really all that matters to them. A few people bleeting on Twitter about long queues seems a small price to pay for record profits.
Increasingly there does not seem to be a very strong business model (in the UK) for those like me who are happy to pay a bit more for better service, because the low cost low service carriers are actually more profitable. (I think?)
Jun 20, 2022, 3:34 pm
#50
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,616
Jun 20, 2022, 10:36 pm
#51
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AS, US, Hilton, BA, DL, SPG, AA, VS
Posts: 1,628
The problem is that there aren't enough people who are willing to do the same for the airlines to make enough money doing that.
Jun 21, 2022, 5:03 am
#52
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, several other less interesting cards...
Posts: 3,712
At the moment fares are sky high and people are still booking. People swallow fare rises for fuel, tax, airport costs etc so why not for wages?
Jun 21, 2022, 11:30 am
#53
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AS, US, Hilton, BA, DL, SPG, AA, VS
Posts: 1,628
If people are willing to pay more for this, why aren't the airlines already doing it? Furthermore, even if an airline was willing to try it, they'd be putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage with all of the other airlines, unless all of the other airlines did the same thing at the same time. All it would take is 1 or 2 airlines saying, "We're not doing that, we're going to keep our fares lower." Guess who will get the most bookings?
Jun 21, 2022, 12:32 pm
#54
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
(For youngsters amongst us, American Airlines once decided to break ranks and rip out economy seats to improve legroom, but charging more. It was a commercial disaster and soon reversed.)
One day someone will write a thesis on why people are prepared to pay anything from £20 to £1,000 for a hotel room in the same city on the same night but under 2% are prepared to pay extra for a more comfortable journey to get there (based on, say, 10 flights per day across multiple airlines on a typical European city pair and only two of those flights being on legacy carriers and having business class).
We can then move on to a 2nd thesis on why people value their time badly and choose cheaper flights even when it means chopping hours off their trip or having, for example, to take taxis on arrival or stay in airport hotels the night before because of inappropriate flight times .....
Jun 22, 2022, 1:58 am
#55
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 76
Hello all - I appreciate the GMB ballot ends tomorrow as I understand it, so we should get news of the result and next steps soon. I have followed the thread with interest as I will be flying back into the UK mid-July so may be impacted. As luck would have it, I have an appointment I have waited 4 months for 2 days after I am meant to get back that is near impossible to move without facing a 6 months delay so starting to mull my options.
Could a kindly soul summarise the known likely areas impacted as there appears to a mosaic of disputes and information is patchy at the moment e.g. LHR - check in/ground staff? Any LGW staff also involved? I have seen mention of maintenance possibly being involved too but that may be press speculation.
Could a kindly soul summarise the known likely areas impacted as there appears to a mosaic of disputes and information is patchy at the moment e.g. LHR - check in/ground staff? Any LGW staff also involved? I have seen mention of maintenance possibly being involved too but that may be press speculation.