Hello everyone,
well now we know, there is to be a strike after all. I do not think that it will come as a surprise to anyone given that the vote to strike has always, on previous occassions as far as i am aware, been positive.
I am very interested to hear the views of fellow contributors on this issue, particularly people likely to be affected by the strike.
I am also keen to know if anyone can come up with a solution that will stop BA going into more serious trouble or even terminal decline.
Let me be very clear, I absolutely want BA to survive, but it seems that management and unions alike are determind to make that survival as difficult as possible!!
I look forward to reading other posters views.
Safe travels,
Jonathan
Home@FL350 - 14/12/2009 14:40 GMT
I'm disappointed to see this action, however not entirely surprised.
Given the threat of a strike, I decided to book all travel during the Christmas period (for my family) on another carrier. As a Gold card holder and firm believer in BA's layflat beds (our travel is long-haul), this hurt. But, my decision looks to have been wise.
My sympathies to all whom will have their holidays (severely) disrupted.
VintageKrug - 14/12/2009 15:16 GMT
"Customers who are booked to travel between 22 December 2009 and 2 January 2009 and for 48 hours on either side of those dates who would like to take their flight at a different time can change to another BA flight departing in the next twelve months at no charge.
If a customer’s flight is cancelled because of industrial action, we will offer them the option to refund their ticket, rebook on to a different flight or reroute their journey on another BA flight. "
balworth - 14/12/2009 15:21 GMT
Am honestly astonished by this - 12 days over the Xmas period?! A lot of people are going to lose sympathy with BA staff if this goes ahead.
BA's INITIAL STATEMENT ON UNITE DECISION
British Airways is extremely disappointed that Unite is planning massive disruption for hundreds of thousands of our customers over the Christmas/New Year holiday period.
A 12-day strike would be completely unjustified and a huge over-reaction to the modest changes we have announced for cabin crew which are intended to help us recover from record financial losses.
Unite’s cynical decision betrays a total lack of concern for our customers, our business and other employees within British Airways.
And while we're at it.... Virgin Atlantic's
"As with previous disputes, travellers have been switching across to Virgin Atlantic in recent weeks due to the uncertainty of BA strike action.
Virgin Atlantic will do all it can to assist BA passengers who are unable to fly during the strike period. Many of our flights are already busy but we will endeavour to help where we can."
And here is a message from CEO Willie Walsh
You may have heard that Unite, the union that represents our cabin crew, has threatened strike action between December 22, 2009 and January 2, 2010.
Let me say immediately we will do everything we can to assist you at what will clearly be a very difficult time if strikes go ahead. We are working hard on contingency plans, and will announce them as soon as they are finalised.
We are also urging Unite to return to the negotiating table. There are important issues on which we have asked them to put forward new ideas.
Strike action is completely unjustified.
It's no secret that British Airways is in financial difficulty. Like other global airlines, we have been hit extremely hard by the slump in business travel brought on by the world recession.
We lost £400m last year and will lose at least as much this year. These are the worst financial results in our history. Our revenue is down £1 billion, so reducing costs is absolutely essential even to begin heading back toward profitability and long-term survival.
Many of my colleagues understand this. Our pilots have agreed a pay cut. Our engineers have agreed more efficient ways of working. A third of our managers have accepted voluntary redundancy. And nearly 7,000 colleagues volunteered for salary reductions because they wanted to help this great British company in a time of need.
But our cabin crew union has refused to engage in this process seriously.
My admiration for the professionalism and skills of British Airways cabin crew is second to none. They are an absolutely vital part of our airline, and a great asset. But they have been disgracefully misled by Unite as to how our company-wide cost reduction programme would affect them.
Unite claims that we are trying to "intimidate workers into accepting poorer contracts", forcing crew to leave the company, and "attacking" their pay and allowances.
This is fiction. Our package involves no reduction in terms or conditions for existing crew. Our Heathrow crew will remain the best paid in the industry. Average earnings for cabin services directors are £56,000 on long-haul and £52,000 on short-haul. For junior crew, they are £35,000 and £26,000 respectively. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, average costs of BA crew are twice those of their Virgin Atlantic counterparts.
In fact, despite our financial backdrop, more than 10,000 of our cabin crew will receive pay rises of between two and seven per cent this year, and again next year. In the worst recession since the Second World War, these are increases many employees in other walks of life can only dream about.
We have created opportunities for voluntary redundancy, and more than 1,000 crew have taken that option. Similarly, more than 3,000 crew have volunteered to switch to part-time working.
To accommodate these requests, we have made a small change in our onboard crew numbers from Heathrow, without affecting service standards. Our Gatwick flights have been operating on equivalent crew numbers for years - with Unite's agreement.
Unite's chief complaint seems to be that we are "imposing" the changes at Heathrow. The truth is we had been discussing them with the union for nine months but, despite all the evidence of the company's (and the industry's) financial plight, Unite would not be realistic about the clear imperative to reduce costs.
We could not wait any longer. We moved ahead, making sure that our changes were squarely based on voluntary choices for individuals.
Unite claims the changes affect contractual terms and conditions. We believe they do not. The union failed to gain an injunction to prevent their introduction, but a full court hearing to settle the contractual question has been set for February 2010.
We do not understand why Unite is threatening you with disrupted travel plans now over an issue that the courts are preparing to resolve in a few weeks.
A strike can achieve nothing except huge upset and inconvenience for you. We will do our best to provide as much help and support as we can.
Willie Walsh
Last Updated: 15:22 - 14 December 2009
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/statement/public/en_hk
Pat_travels - 14/12/2009 15:36 GMT
I have 4 long haul flights scheduled over the strike period.
BA have been very accommodating with changing dates and allowing a window of 12 months for a new flight date.
As a Gold card member I try to maintain my loyalty but it has been increasingly difficult over the last 12 months. I suggest BA will lose a great number of usually loyal passengers [these loyal passengers have endured all sorts of adversity over the last year] when they experience what the competition has to offer. Of course the competition is going to thoroughly enjoy scavenging through the potential 1 million passengers affected by the possible BA strike action. Very very damaging to BA
All companies make mistakes. It's what they do to put them right that makes the difference. Over to you BA - your next move has the potential to increase long-term loyalty ... or not.
Senator - 14/12/2009 15:48 GMT
Hi all,
I am normally someone with full sympathy with the “man/woman” on the street, the people that do the “real” work. I consider myself an average person, and look at my ability to travel for work and fun a privilege; especially as a premium cabin traveller. I am not the most frequent BA traveller but on the occasions I have travelled BA I have always liked it; staff has always been brilliant.
There are always two sides to any story, but this seems like madness. We are in perhaps the worst trading conditions ever for an airline like BA. So far, the BA Management team has asked for voluntary steps to sort the costs out, and now Unite pulls this? I am afraid there will be no sympathies for the onboard staff from us, the customers in this case. With this industrial action, I suspect the BA numbers will look really awful come next report, and the voluntary measures will be in-voluntary severances from now on.
Binman62 - 14/12/2009 16:02 GMT
The turkeys have voted for an early Christmas. A 12 day strike, should it start, will give BA every reason to shut the company down, fire the crew and start again in January. This would be bar far the best option for the company and may at long last allow them to lance this festering boil. Of course this from someone who is not due to fly with BA over Christmas so I am not having my plans disrupted or have any anxiety over what is being proposed.
I for one however am not yet convinced that this will go ahead. It appears to be a shock tactic by the TU and I suspect they may have gone too far. Everyone at BA will be affected including the flight crew and ground staff many of whom will also have plans for the festive season and which now are in very real jeopardy. Crew will become figures of hate not just for BA passengers but to their colleagues also.
It is a great pity that the crew,(who in my experience are world class) are so poorly lead and so poorly served by their 1970’s Trade Unions. I however hope that the company takes the strongest possible stance and ensures that this is the last time they, and the public, are held to ransom in this way.
whynotfly - 14/12/2009 16:02 GMT
Brings a whole new meaning to the Twelve Days of Christmas. All together now:
On the first day of Christmas, Willie gave me to me...
REVISED: Just spoken to BA.
The situation at the moment is as follows: no flights are cancelled, but the website will not accept bookings for the affected period for any BA flights - that includes LCY and LGW.
If you go on, and it does accept them, that's because it's a big IT job because they are having to close the bookings down on some 7000 flights.
In coming days, they will go through all the crew rosters and work out if there's anyway of running some flights (ie: with crew who didn't vote for strike action), but it's too early to say whether this will be possible or not.
As flights are cancelled (or I should say, if they are cancelled), people will be contacted as per the details on the BA website.
BA has now released a full statement in reaction to the strike vote:
British Airways is extremely disappointed that Unite is planning massive disruption for hundreds of thousands of our customers over the Christmas/New Year holiday period.
A 12-day strike would be completely unjustified and a huge over-reaction to the modest changes we have announced for cabin crew which are intended to help us recover from record financial losses.
Unite’s cynical decision betrays a total lack of concern for our customers, our business and other employees within British Airways.
Thousands of staff across the company have made contributions to the cost reductions that are essential to move the company back toward profitability. Our cabin crew, who are rightly renowned for their professionalism and skills, cannot be exempt from this process.
Our package for them is very fair and reasonable. It reduces no-one’s terms and conditions, and gives most crew pay rises of between two and seven per cent this year and next year. British Airways’ cabin crew are already the best rewarded in the UK airline industry.
Unite says we ‘imposed’ this package, but it was discussed with them for nine months and is largely based on meeting voluntary applications for part-time working and redundancy.
We will not be withdrawing the minor changes we have made to onboard crew numbers from Heathrow, which bring crewing levels into line with equivalent flights from Gatwick. Crew numbers at Gatwick have been in place for many years with Unite’s agreement.
We have made clear to Unite that we want them to talk to us about their ideas for the recruitment of new crew in future when the business is in a position to grow. That invitation remains open.
Unite’s claim that changing onboard crew numbers from Heathrow is a contractual issue, with which we disagree, will be resolved by the courts in February. A 12-day strike over Christmas and New Year can have no effect in determining this issue.
Willie Walsh, British Airways chief executive, said: “A strike is senseless – and we urge Unite to draw back. We will not be reversing our changes to onboard crew numbers. They have allowed us to accept more than 1,000 requests for voluntary redundancy – and those former colleagues have left the business.
“Unite must understand that there can be no return to the old, inefficient ways if we want to ensure long-term survival in the interests of our customers, shareholders and all our staff.
“They have no justification for threatening such extreme action. It is very sad that they are seeking to use the Christmas holiday plans and family reunions of hundreds of thousands of people to try to pursue their case.”
I notice BA are asking customers to call them on an 0844 number which is often more expensive to call than 01, 02 or 03 numbers. Personally, I think this is a bit of a cheek. According the website www.saynoto0870.com this number is linked to the geographic number 0191 490 7901.
MarcusUK - 14/12/2009 17:09 GMT
This has been a clear outcome with 92% of BA staff voting to strike, even though some threads on BT stated it was a "militant Minority".
Well it isn't is it?
We all knew this was coming. It is not the first strike on BA, or the first time services will be in chaos, so all have had enough time Not to book with them, & my friends & colleagues who do choose BA have avoided them. Many already simply choose other carriers, that in these difficult times, eagerly await the business.
I am sad for the crews that feel their voice is not heard. Clearly for the Customers who will have no flights, or have to pay again, IF, they can find alternatives at these busy time. It may well ruin globally, families getting together. In every country, BA's reputation will be damaged.
This is a symptom of B A Senior Management's team. They have taken a once great Airline, de-moralised its staff to this point. I have a friend that knows 7 CSD's in BA. They voice they can no longer deliver a service to the level & expectation they were trained to. It is not purely about money its attitude towards them, resources being so constrained & they have as one put it "Come to detest BA Management, dread going into work with Morale so low & a service reputation that is in the past."
As for any Business, this action is a symptom of a crisis, failed Management. No other Airline in the world, has been managed in this way. No other Airline will be damaged so much when this occurs.
Every other Airline have the same issues to face, but 90%+ of yr workforce ?
This will create one of the final Terminal blows to the future of BA.
Its a worldwide PR disaster.
I am very sad for all concerned, Customers, Staff teams, & the loss to the UK Economy to which this will contribute, but not surprised.
Binman62 - 14/12/2009 17:20 GMT
MarkRoberts9...what utter tosh......It is not BA management that are striking it is a poorly lead and thoroughly misguided group of staff of have for too long been disconnected from the the rest of intelligent life. The plans are utterly dispropotionate and clearly designed to bring about either a coup at BA or misery for nearly a million people. I am fortunate not to be one but frankly I hope BA take them on and lance this festering boil that has for so long held the company and its customer to ransom. Todays union meeting would have made a great backdrop to the last episode of "ashes to ashes" it was just so 1970's. These people are dinosaurs.
MarcusUK - 14/12/2009 18:12 GMT
Yet another degrading use of the Forum Binman!
I think Tom Ottley has warned against this sort of statement...
"Festering boils" out of touch with intelligent life?
If you cant make an intelligent argument you have been asked to Keep out by The Editors here.
So i suppose all those that choose to fly BA are out of touch with Intelligent life, so they must be the same..is that the implication!
This "Forum" is being abused by such stupid comments, legally liable, & people who have no idea how to pout forward a view in an adult manner. There have been so many complaints in one week i am told..it is not a platform to degrade contributors or insult others.
If it continues, then there will need to be some Applied rules, more banning of people, Or simply close it down.
If Unite, BA Crew, or passengers who use BA see yr comments, BT will soon have legal action against them. They don't provide a Forum for this low level, un-intelligent comment.
