BA ground staff at LHR: Summer '22 strike threat suspended after deal agreed
 

I feel so sure there must be (??) an existing thread, which I have failed to find, that I hereby apologise in advance !

This seemingly-reliable specialist site is reporting on a ballot process for industrial action by LHR check-in staff, on the specific issue of reversal of previous pandemic-related pay cuts but for management only, whilst leaving cuts to pay of Union members still in place.

Does not augur well for upcoming summer season travel out of LHR.


https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/31163-british-unions-ballot-heathrow-staff-over-strike

I’d be highly surprised if BA didn’t back down for this and agree something with the unions. Like how BA had an “upper hand” against unions during 2020 with the so-called “fire and rehire” redundancy consultations, at this point in time BA are almost completely at the mercy of unions. If a strike were to go ahead it would be absolutely disastrous financially for BA just as it predicts returning to profitability by next quarter! If a strike does go ahead, then that would probably curtains for Doyle too in the process.

Best of luck to all BA staff.

Like many here, if strike does go ahead and we get disrupted, I will place the blame at the feet of BA, NOT the striking workers

BA summer strike
 

Not intending to open a debate as to whether strike action is justified but is there any logic as to when the strike might actually take place based on historical precedent - i.e. is there a set notice period following 27 June or some other protocol / negotiation period that must be adhered to after the ballot closes? Or could the strike happen literally at any time following 27 June, and for any number of days?

The messaging below is very ominous. Just in the process of booking numerous back-up flights in the final hours of BwC as there is a personal event in mainland Europe that I cannot miss...

The industrial action ballot, which covers around 500 staff, will open on Tuesday 7 June and close on Monday 27 June. Should workers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes are expected to occur in July when demands for flights are expected to be high.

14 days notice to strike unless both parties agree to allow 7 days (why they would allow only 7 days notice I don't know but DVSA and the Unions allowed that last year). So if the result is announced on the 27th June, then strike action could be any time from 11th July onwards.

Also see:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...tion-july.html

Hopefully sanity will prevail, and it needs to be soon - a strike (or even the uncertainty caused by its threat) after the recent airport & rescheduling chaos would IMHO have catastrophic effects on BA's tiny residual customer goodwill.

Does anyone remember what BA did to re-accommodate in past strikes? Presumably nothing could move out of LHR or other BA staffed airports. I seem to recall a fleet of wet-leased Qatar short haul aircraft being brought in, but that couldn't happen at T5 without check-in. Also, with the QR/Airbus battle I can't imagine they'd have much capacity this time around.

On the long haul side, the QR move back to T4 is timely as it will give them an operation independent from BA resources. I guess they could simply accelerate what seems anyway to be an ongoing long-term transfer of BA's Eastbound long-haul business to QR - my concern again is that the latter (or for that matter, anyone else) simply won't have spare capacity in the July peak.

Likewise - I have to travel from/to Oz and I"m sure there won't be any last minute options so best to double-up now!

I don't know if it is linked, but BA staff that are members of the GMB Union have also been balloted over strike action:

"Hundreds of GMB members working as Heathrow check in and ground staff begin voting on strike action today.
"The ballot ends on 23 June with the result expected the same day."

https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/hundreds...-strike-ballot

I'm sure this will have been factored in to the proposal by the Unions to strike on dates which will impact/affect the airline as much as possible. If it were simply a case of being able to offer a contingency and of no significant impact to the operation it's not really going to amount to much or be taken seriously by the airline. It's designed to be somewhat strategic in order to make the airline stop and think about whats at stake.

I have already had an email that a flight at the start of July is being operated by a Iberia crew and plane so i am hoping this doesnt get given to someone else.

Not sure I follow?

BA have arranged for Iberia to fly certain routes for them (wet lease) due to capacity issues

Its a BCN - LHR flight that has already been wet leased but not all flights on that day have been wet leased and its only this one. Could BA go "we are going to use the wet leased jet/crew for another flight" and just cancel mine?

Yes potentially

BA did this for my flight to Malta; they cancelled one BA flight number but moved me to an I2 operated flight on a BA flight number.

Does it matter? I2/IB short haul product is no different to BA's.