Thought as much, so completely different situation then?

Yeah. Pre-Thatcher it was awful pay, T&C, accommodation, leave arrangements. And the bonus prospect of being shot at. Happy days.

When responding to 'expressions of concern'/whinging from others Here's the options I give them.
1. Like It
2. Lump It
3. F off somewhere else.
Those are the three freedoms we always have and are the first to consider,
Most people choose option 2 most of the time. That's how society gets by, Pretty much no-one with anything about them picks option 1. With furlough and the state of the industry a lot of folks have picked option 3 and it's not an easy task to convince people that was a wrong move. Once they have invested in 3, 2 doesn't even look like an option any more, so you have to make a big move to bring it back in the game. I really hope BA can. It's a coin flip to me right now, I can see it either way.

To temper the above, we get a lot of 'lump it' because we give people great benefits. A lesson there perhaps. The benefits that seem to be low value to the company might be high value to the staff. This seems to be a truism for cabin crew across the ages. A bit dim if they don't vector that.

For Terminal staff it's a 13% increase for 2022 - 5% already paid, 5% in September, 3% in December. Critically 8% to 13% being consolidated pay.

Good for them, I’d be delighted with 13%. Roll on January!

Of course, it is important to remember that they were handed a 10% pay cut during Covid.

Is that a 13% increase on top of the 10% cut having been restored? If not it is effectively a 3% increase.

I can't help but think back to some of the discussions on here of just 2 years ago regarding the sheer outrage at BA being opportunistic in using the Covid situation to shed thousands of staff and force changes in legacy contracts etc.. In particular how BA were doing this exactly when staff were at their most vulnerable and unlikely to put up a fight and how incredibly unfair and underhand BA were doing this.

Fast-forward to now and here we are with the exact opposite with the Union picking their timing to maximise the impact the other way by threatening strike action right when their employer is at their most vulnerable with staff shortages and a huge upturn in Summer travel.

C'est la vie :)

Absolutely. I would argue cause and effect. Although to be fair, I think the process started way before the pandemic. I also think that fairness instills trust and restraint and that this is a far more effective form of industrial relations.

If percentages are taken on current salary at each point of increase, then it's a 2.2% increase compared to pre-covid. Over 2 years, with inflation 10%, it's better than a pay cut, but it's not a great raise either..

I think the original payment of 5% was a one of bonus so its actually a permanent increase of just 8%.

“ Hundreds of British Airways staff working at Heathrow will begin voting in a pay ballot today [12 July 2022], after industrial action was suspended.

Aviation workers - predominantly low paid women - were set to walk out after a ten per cent pay cut imposed on them by BA during the pandemic was not reinstated – despite bosses having their pre-covid pay rates restored.

Industrial action has been suspended after BA made an improved offer, which members will now vote on.

The ballot closes on 21 July.

If workers vote to accept the deal, the Heathrow strike will be called off.

Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said:

“Our members stood up for themselves and fought for what they were owed.

“Not only have these predominantly women workers won pay improvements for themselves, but BA have now been forced to make this offer to the rest of their staff too.

“GMB members organising and threatening strike action have forced British Airways to finally move on pay – something which is long overdue. 

“These are frontline workers facing harassment and in some cases abuse from customers daily. The least they deserve is fair pay. 

“They will now vote on whether to accept the new pay deal – which the GMB is recommending they do.”

Source: https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/ba-heath...t-begins-today

Update:

Strike action by hundreds of British Airways workers at Heathrow has been called off, after staff accepted an 8% pay rise offer.

The GMB and Unite unions said more than 75% of members backed the pay deal.

A total of 700 workers - mostly check-in staff - had been set to strike during the summer over a 10% pay cut imposed during the pandemic.

Workers will also get a one-off bonus and the reinstatement of extra pay for irregular shifts.

Unite said the offer, which will be paid in several stages, is worth 13% in total.

A spokesman for British Airways said the company was "delighted with this positive news".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62267324

..
and so are tens of thousands of passengers.

It won’t remove the stain on BA’s staff relationships, but in a dim light it will hardly show.

Indeed but hopefully moving forward it's another less worrying for people. Bring back 'normal' times please! :)