[Anonymous]

[BusinessTraveller]

BA has asked its office staff to volunteer as cabin crew, in the eventuality that the latest planned strike action goes ahead.

Our sister site http://www.abtn.co.uk has a full and exclusive report on the plans, which may also include wet leasing aircraft and crew.

To read the report, visit:

http://www.abtn.co.uk/news/1813651-exclusive-ba-calling-volunteer-cabin-crew

[theworldtraveller]

good on BA – i hope they get lots of volunteers. The cabin crew strike at their own risk and I am sure Willie Walsh will keep the operation flying with back up staff – however, I will not book BA whilst they threaten strikes and if others think the same, it could put the company in a precarious financial position.

[DJ_London]

I applauded Mr. Walsh for taking the initiative to ensure that as little disruption as possible is caused to their customers. However, I for one would not want to be flying on an aircraft with crew who have completed a three month basic training programme and perhaps one test flight. That said, I shall not book my Easter plans with the airline over the strike period, and I expect many others to do the same.

Moreover, can you imagine the training bill and extra money being spent to cater those non-customer facing staff that will require a uniform and such like? In my view, it will be putting the airline more into the red. And all for being able to say to the crew: look what we have done and we can do it again!!

Although a good idea Mr. Walsh, in hindsight, is it the best thing to do for the airline? My advise would be to sack all those who choose to strike and go to an agency and employ already trained Cabin Crew, who really want a job. Give them that job and a good career with the airline. For those, who are disloyal and want to damage the airline… Good riddance.

If only business was this simple!!

[Wildgoose]

I think, prima facie, this is a smart, counter-attacking move from Mr. Walsh. However, two issues arise:
1) WiIl the ground crew who end up operating on board receive the same salaries as the current air crew?
2) Are the ‘new’ air crew (i.e. those who previously worked on the ground) likely to strike over wages and conditions in the future?

[flier74]

Well done to BA and it shows they are one step ahead this time to show who really should be leading the Airline. Great idea which deserves plenty of appreciation,mind you the outcome of the Ballot will be interesting anyhow.
Many Crew I had the chance to speak to in the last few weeks mentioned that they will not be backing another strike after the disaster UNITE left them in last month. So I reckon there be plenty of Cabin Crew volunteers too if it should get to Industrial Action this time.

[continentalclub]

DarrenJ: employment laws in the UK prevent the recruitment of staff to specifically cover the duties of striking employees, or, I believe, to contract agencies to provide staff for the same purpose.

It is however perfectly legal to train existing staff to undertake roles other than their own and for those existing staff to step into the breach under any given circumstances.

On the face of it, then, this is an extremely pragmatic move and one which may very well help to sideline self-serving union activists and catalyse further moves towards a negotiated settlement.

[NTarrant]

This is something which has been done by bus and coach operators for many years and in the last ten years on the railways when guards have decided to strike. Might be a first for the airline industry.

Certainly ContinenatlClub is right about recruting specifically to cover for striking employees. The agency issue is a very grey area, but there is no problem with, for example BA using VS or BD crew providing they are paid by the employing company. They could also get a charter company like Titan that BA used to use when they had an aircraft shortage in the days before BA Connect.

[beethoven]

Congratulations Mr Walsh. This shows a management prepared to fight back and not just take these stupid BA cabin crew’s threats to close down the very airline that employs them. Do folk realise that BA cabin crew are amongst the highest paid in the world ??????? Throw them out and recruit staff who are willing to work. Like the others, I regret to say I will be booking on other airlines BUT I WANT BA to survive. It’s our national carrier & we should be proud of it. Darned difficult when the crew wont work is it not !

[DJ_London]

As someone who is close to staff at BA, it is pleasing to hear that the first batch of “cabin crew converts” are going through training on 25 January with the next groups over the following five weeks, so they will all be ready to work during the strike.

Internally, a few new aircraft types have been added to the flight planning systems, which indicate that BA are preparing to use a third party company to fly their customers to their destinations. Another move to ensure BA does not leave their customers stranded. BA already use a third party at Gatwick.

[Cwyfan]

The solution here is simple, BA cabin crew should be paid at the industry average as a basic, and then have a profit share scheme for anything else. As a shareholder, I would be more than happy for there to be profits again, without them going first to grumpy stafff providing poor service to customers. If they had to earn their extra that way, they would not be too keen to inconvenience passangers, and there would be some left for me too!

[Wildgoose]

What is the “industry average” for airlines such as BA? And, what would it be for European airlines such as LH, KL-AF, etc., Do they get paid the same as BA cabin crew, give or take currency fluctuations?
I don’t think we should underestimate the appeal of the Gulf carriers, such as EK, to UK-based crew; the wages might be lower but Dubai IS tax-free and the girls can drink and sunbathe all they want.Certainly, my insider at BA tells me that EK, with its plans to expand, is becoming an increasingly viable option for younger, unattched crew who just want a hedonistic life in the sun and to nab themselves a rich investment-banker boyfriend/husband/lover.

[CHINATRADERJMR]

I for one would feel safer with a freshly trained cabin attendant. Come on – take a look at the current flight attendants flying the world today on Airlines like BA, AA, AF and others where the unions are so strong. any of these f/a’s are over wieght, hate there comanies, hate there passengers and are just plain out of shape. God Riddance. I hope the BA flight attendants remembr what happened with TWA years ago when they chose to strike. Icahn just replaced them and when the strike was voer, the judge ruled TWA did not have to take htem back till they” needed them” Some wited 5 years to get there jobs ack and by then, the airline was already terminal

[CMoir12]

Couldn’t BA take on Agency admin staff with the criteria that they are trained cabin crew? Surely then they wouldn’t be breaking union law as the staff will be working for them.

[NTarrant]

No but they can take on agency staff to replace the admin staff that are working as cabin crew

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