IAMORGAN

Yes I agree, sorry if my post sounded like I was accusing YOU, I didn't mean it like that, I was more trying to show how BA can't be relied upon, because of the militant tendencies that are evidently now within all departments.

I was also making the point that we shouldn't have to think before booking BA, but i agree we do. I apologize if it seemed as if I was accusing you personally of making a stupid point -you are quite right! BA shouldn't be selling tickets if there is going to be a strike! But then again, it's not as if they are going to stop selling them.

IAMORGAN

I am not talking about CABIN CREW specifically -it makes no difference to me whether it is cabin services, baggage handling, their subcontractors such as Gate Gourmet, it all has the same result -disruption and discrediting the airline. The public will not diferentiate, they will see it as BA, as opposed to BA cabin crew. Maybe it sounds heartless and cold, but then again it is a fact. As far as my concern is based is, I want to get from A to B, and it makes no difference to me who, within BA, stops me from getting there.

IAMORGAN

At the end of the day, the crew aren't paid to make choices about whether they accept the board's decision to save 10%, they are employed to do their specific job, and let WW worry about everything else. I suppose that you don't agree they need to save money, which is fair enough, you are entitled to your opinion.

wobbly wings

Even more surprising is that at the same time most people are not keen on FR either (who are the ones actually practicing much of what seems to be advocated here).

Globaliser

I believe there's a valid reason why airline cabin crew (and tech crew) cannot be expected simply to up and leave and get another job. One of the irreplaceable things that you acquire with most airlines is seniority. It (almost) runs your life. And the instant you leave, for whatever reason, you usually wave goodbye to all the seniority you've ever earned with the airline.

Disco Volante

That is a distinction without a difference, like the Judean People's Liberation Front or the People's Liberation Front of Judea .

typical

I beg to disagree. When a company suffers a lot of strikes, but the people striking are not always the same people, I would be pointing the finger at the people involved in all of the strikes: the Roma... er, the management.

ian001

I've just seen a report on BBC News and the BBC had cameras at the trade union meeting, and whilst some people did jump out of the seats and cheer when the result was announced, from what I saw they were all at the front, so this could have been planned for the TV cameras.

Unsurprisingly, the report had interviews with BA cabin crew and trade union reps, but no spokesperson from BA on camera. Another shining media performance from BA.

One point from the report is that 5 members of staff (I can't recall if the report said they were all cabin crew) have been dismissed for poor attendance under the new sickness policy.

The Saint

Ok, I understand now. All the criticism of the cabin crew on this and other threads is premised on the understanding that cabin crew, baggage handlers and gate gourmet contractors are to be regarded as synonymous. So if the baggage handlers have had a dispute with BA over something, that disqualifies the cabin crew from having a dispute.

Perhaps you might direct at least some of your opprobrium instead at the management team that appears so spectacularly to have unified one sector of its workforce in such opposition to its policies that they are prepared to strike. Or do you cling to the belief that BA's cabin crew are neo-Trot activists just looking for trouble.

IAMORGAN

If the "Most people" are the pax who are complaining about the strikes, then that is my point -we all have seen how bad FR are, so the crew should be pleased to work for an airline that is so good -and before you tell me it is the crew that make BA (which in most cases it is), FR have some good crew too who could teach BA one or two things. I am not saying FR are better, just saying that they are the success story, not BA, just because we don't like them, doesn't excuse their passenger numbers.

IAMORGAN

More or less, but no! I agree that they are all synonymous, but not that it disqualifies cc from having a dispute. I think that none of them should have gone on strike. I understand they are seperate, but in the eyes of the public, they are the same. At the end of the day, the public are the ones who pay their wages, and will go off to another carrier, thus necessitating more cuts and more job losses, it is a viscious circle.

I would agree that management should talk to their crew, but unions do sometimes get in the way; if they talked to each other and explained things, then it would be a dam side easier than having a strike (for pax at least), it is a paid holiday for staff.

jedison

Over the past few months I've had several chats with BA cabin crew. Whenever I bring up questions about their work rules, schedules, pay, etc., they rolled their eyes, grimaced, or evidenced some other sign of pain, sorrow or frustration. So I can't say I'm surprised.

I had booked my next trip SFO-NBO on UA/EK after all the trouble I've had at LHR. The 25K bonus almost tempted me to switch flights, against my better judgement. No chance of that now.

AJLondon

I guess I count as one of those irrational idiots who still had some faith in BA, when I thought it wouldn't come to an actual strike, by booking two non-refundable longhaul trips for Feb just last night.

BahrainLad

Unbelievable behaviour. From what I could see, everyone in the room roared their approval and got to their feet (including one female CC member who punched the air several times.) Hardly a group of people who've been reluctantly pushed to this point and taking the last resort.

And that cabin crew member who reckons you're more likely to get sick inside an aircraft "with all the germs" had better tell Boeing and Airbus; as I think they'll be very interested to hear from him...

Irish lad

There has been some talk on here about how senior management should have seen this coming. But another angle is that maybe WW and his cohorts know that this all needs to be resolved, especially ahead of the move to T5 (and the new dawn that will usher in apparently!) It's pretty unusual for such a competitive industry to still be unionised and WW might be adopting a policy of brinksmanship; maybe he feels he can crack the unions? As others have noted, the BA statement is not one of conciliation.

I certainly was surprised that 96% of the ballot voted for strike action (which - by my maths - is around 60% of the total cabin crew numbers) as it underlines how strong feelings are right now. I do not know enough to have an opinion on whether the crew are right to strike, but I sincerely hope that both sides are able to find some common ground, and that BA does not screw itself up in the process. Feels like all this is quite critical to me.