[Alasdair]

What was in the ugly past should stay there and now both party’s should maturely move forward.

[Alasdair]

What was in the ugly past should stay there and now both party’s should maturely move forward.

[VintageKrug]

The plural of party is parties.

Most journalists would know that.

[VintageKrug]

Another wasteful ballot as oil pushes $110 a barrel.

It will start March 1 until 28 March, with the earliest strike action could occur being 5 April.

As ever flights from both gatwick and city will be unaffected. 100% of BA longhaul from LHR will operate as normal as well as a substantial proportion of shorthaul.

Media largely ignoring this empty threat; I have several longhaul flights booked over this period, and remain unconcerned.

BASSA is now an irrelevance, and the threat to disrupt passenger operations is over.

[pixelmeister]

Alasdair
you said
‘Within that ‘fabulous’ revised offer VK ingratiatingly continues to post, there is neither talk of redeployment, evaporation of routes, disruption payments and other T&C’s which have been negotiated between the two bodies in the past. It is widely read by an intelligent crew base, only promptly rejected to the dismay of various contributors.’

Why should there be talk of redeployment etc. ? It is only a concern if any deal put forward specifically states that it supercedes all previous contracts, that the terms and conditions therein are the only ones that will apply and any previous terms and conditions are rendered null and void. Now, did the offer state that ? I don’t think so.

You thensaid
‘
BA will never be a pleasant company to work for until time is taken to reason with employee groups equally and internal tensions quashed. To forbid your workers to talk openly and honestly about an issue.. This issue of ID, is positively archaic and communist – not democratically British.

Time Keith Williams got this sorted
‘

Um you forget that it is only one group of BA employees who are involved and the percentage of them that are in dispute with the company is shrinking. Where do you get the notion that BA bans any talk on the subject of this dispute ? Have you really not looked at any of the online forums ? There are plenty that seem to have opinions from employees in both camps. The issue of ID is essential in a business that has to maintain a high safety record, or do you really want any old joe to be able to pass themselves off as ground staff/flight crew / cabin crew ?

[Alasdair]

No, you are wrong. The ID effects ALL Crew as is evidenced by only a few hundred singning the amazing revised offer. For some have not been brave enough to confront the company through IA and have still been more than happy to remain in original contracts negotiated originally by the union. Add to this, the 6000 odd who have stuck by their guns and continue to protest.

If you took time to chat to crew they are afraid to chat at work (unlike any other democratic British company) regarding this issue for fear of disciplinary and unfair treatment.

[cococlubkid]

Alastair, cabin crew on board are there to serve not to argue their industrial agreements with their passengers, it is not the right place r time to do so.
Absolutely nothing to do with freedom of speech,

[VintageKrug]

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

5,811 out of about 13,600 cabin crew (BA has been busy hiring since the previous ballot!) still represents about 43%.

Written Police Cautions for Harassment issued to BA’s Keith Williams last week = 0

Written Police Cautions for Harassment issued to BASSA’s Duncan Holley last week = 1

So who is actually the bully here….

Strike action remains highly unlikely:

Holley: “This is a different phase of the dispute that we are now in, it’s no longer about rushing into strike dates; it is all about sending a message..….You no longer need actual strikes to pressure the company – ballots can have the same effect, since they carry the threat of strikes. It would now appear that a simple, well-placed cross on the ballot paper removes some of the need to actually lose money and stand on picket lines.”

If it does occur no flights from Gatwick or City Airport will be affected, and at Heathrow 100% of longhaul and the majority of shorthaul flights will continue to operate.

[Hippocampus]

And there seems to be a history of threatening behaviour in BASSA:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sacked-ba-union-man-to-appeal-1266001.html

“The highest-paid union official in Britain, sacked from his job with British Airways after allegedly attacking another official, is considering launching an appeal against the airline’s decision.

“Mike Coleman, who was earning more than pounds 100,000 from his BA job and as head of British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (Bassa 2000), is said to have assaulted and spat at Dave Fallon, an official of Cabin Crew ’89, a small union which represents mainly long-haul staff.

The allegations were substantiated by an internal BA hearing. A final appeal, to a director of the airline, then upheld the decision to sack him last week.”

[Tete_de_cuvee]

Totally unacceptable behaviour. However since you are dredging BA has far more to be ashamed about ….

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/11/newsid_2520000/2520189.stm

Similar to today, this time there is an overt campaign against BASSA, then there are the covert actions which BA have a history of … not only illegal activities with respect to their competition

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dirty-Tricks-British-Airways-Atlantic/dp/0753504588

and engineering the demise of Laker airways

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/a-legend-of-the-airways-sir-freddie-laker-he-changed-the-world-by-enabling-ordinary-people-to-fly-and-the-public-loved-him-for-it-pity-ba-didn-t-feel-the-same-1.29254

plus world leading fines

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23406534-ba-named-worst-airline-in-europe-as-millions-of-bags-go-missing.do

and then their customers/shareholders who allegedly cross them

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/victim-of-dirty-tricks-campaign-attacks-ba-1386809.html

.. extract ..
At the height of the intimidation, he alleges that two men banged his head against a wall and sprayed chemical gas into his eyes while raiding his flat in June, and that they screamed: ‘This is what you get when you mess with British Airways.’

next employees? Bullying, intimidation, victimisation …..

[NTarrant]

Just what the hell has Laker Airways got to do with today I don’t know! I think it is called clutching at straws.

[Hippocampus]

If BA is the corrupt organisation BASSA supporters claim it is (most observers would regard BA as a decent employer that has been extremely patient and restrained in the face of appalling behaviour by BASSA) then it should surely be advising its members to leave the company and join one of the many airlines that are currently recruiting? Cabin crew accepting BA’s money are no better than BA if it is the corrupt organisation they say it is? Have they no conscience?

Or, perhaps, as we all know, BA cabin crew have it extremely good and many gulliable crew have sadly fallen for BASSA’s propaganda machine.

[VintageKrug]

As you will note, the BASSA rhetoric is moving away from anything of relevance to this dispute and attempting to widen the debate along the lines of…surprise, surprise, the Socialist Worker’s Party.

This ballot now has very little to do with BA cabin crew.

[BusinessClass]

Well said, VK.

Tete – Bullying, intimidation, victimisation ….. that sounds like BASSA!

[VintageKrug]

A very robust planned approach to any potential strike schedule set out here:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/strike-schedule-plans/public/en_gb

[Author]

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