[Hippocampus]

Regarding comments made about cabin crew allowances being at risk because of Mixed Fleet, bear in mind the following:

– BASSA had the chance to negotiate changes that would have negated the need for a new fleet. But they didn’t negotiate.

– Then BASSA had the chance to negotiate changes so that Mixed Fleet crew could have worked alongside the existing fleets. But they didn’t negotiate.

– Then BASSA had the chance to agree with BA a basis for transferring routes to Mixed Fleet (a matrix of A, B and C routes was proposed). But they didn’t negotiate.

Instead BASSA was too busy throwing a hissy fit about imposition of crewing changes at LHR. Even though the High Court and Court of Appeal found they were reasonable. Even though BASSA could not find one crew member out of 13,500 crew to appear in court and prove the claim it was detrimental to them. Even though the crewing changes saved the company a lot of money during a severe global financial crisis. Even though the changes allowed crew to leave on generous voluntary redundancy packages and pensions. Even though the changes allowed crew to move to part-time working. Not one compulsory redundancy. No cuts in pay. But BASSA decided to throw a £120m hissy fit.

Everything BASSA has done in this dispute has made matters worse for their members. Actions have consequences.

And now the dispute is apparantly about union busting. Except every other BA workgroup, the judiciary, the media, other trade unions, the passengers, the public at large cannot see it. Any demonstrably provable facts (such as evidence in court judgments) must be discarded in favour the superior authority of the claim of union busting. There is no evidence to prove the claim of union busting. Instead we must “read between the lines”. And simply because some people believe this dispute is about union busting and because they keep repeating it ad nauseam, we must believe it is about union busting.

As for the suggestion that BA somehow conspired with its auditors to produce two years of record losses to force through change, it’s not even worthing deigning it with a reply. Did BA also orchestrate the near collapse of the global financial markets? Was Air France KLM who also posted dire results (worse than BA in fact) also involved in this vast conspiracy!?

[CallMeIshmael]

It has always appeared to be about union busting – BA may want to spin for PR purposes, the reality is ….

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/25/ba-strike-letter-academics-walsh

BAs tactics are similar to The Burke Group – reknowned union buster. BA have been asked about their relationship with tbg several times – the response has been somewhat vague. Apparently one of the mild tactics is to monitor forums and respond with vigor…. anything you wish to share with us Hippo?

http://www.tbglabor.com/about/belief.aspx

BA has a history of dirty tricks, denial at first but the truth will out and eventually catches up with them …..

Branson ‘dirty tricks’ claim unfounded.

— Headline of an article in the British Airways newsletter BA News, 1992. The article became the center of the largest libel payment in British legal history.

and the book ….

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dirty-Tricks-British-Airways-Atlantic/dp/0753504588/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297467985&sr=1-3

Virgin Atlantic became one of the world’s top airlines only after surviving an incredible dirty tricks campaign by British Airways. Award Winning investigative jounalist Martyn Gregory exposed BA’s secret war, and he reveals the full story in Dirty Tricks.

Will history repeat itself?

[Hippocampus]

Credit where credit is due. At least the Amicus/CC89 branch are accepting where the blame lies for the latest fiasco.

http://twitter.com/AmicusCabinCrew/status/35574474950717440

[Hippocampus]

A letter from a bunch of academics to The Guardian (who probably didn’t even read it before giving their names to it). How persuasive!

The world of academia makes BASSA look like a rational business focused union branch.

The Guardian being the paper that had to retract a front page story about a claim of union busting and remove it from its website and issue an apology.

[CallMeIshmael]

Guess you missed the header … LEADING industrial relations academics (ie acknowledged experts in their field) …. 30 professors plus an additional 50 PhDs … a tad more credible, constructive, cogitative, subjective and impartial than a BA legal team methinks.

Still spinning Hippo … retraction.. try correcting a mis-attribution.

… dedicated to you…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaGS3Uts704

[Alasdair]

“BA need a cabin crew union. But they need one that is professional, responsible and able to behave like a mature adult should.”

Well if you are talking about PCCC then you may forget it. This is comprised of (rather duplicitous and sleekit) individuals on their own agenda who suddenly demand to negotiate with management having reaped the benefits of BASSA and what reasonable terms and conditions they have been successful in attaining.

What these self centered individuals, who clearly know best are doing is essentially working to erode the one true voice crew have at the monent to a point where no particular Union will hold any bargaining power in the company, and BA will achieve that long held dream of union busting within Cabin Crew… oh, even though they actively encourage Crew to join a representative Union body LOL.

The Guardian by the way Hipo is one of the only papers in this country which thankfully credits individuals with the intelligence to draw calculated opinions, as did I from the article below after hearing about BA’s “fight for survival.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/oct/27/willie-walsh-gets-12-per-cent-pay-rise

[Hippocampus]

Same tired old arguments and faux outrage Alasdair.

WW is getting a payrise because he’s moving to a new job. CEO of IAG is a much bigger job than CEO of BA.

If you compare what Keith Williams now earns as BA CEO to what WW earned as BA CEO, BA directors are not getting massive payrises for doing the same job. It’s for the replacement for Keith Williams as BA Finance Director.

Also, BA’s Senior Directors earn far less than their counterparts in other FTSE 100 plc companies.

As for union busting, even if BA wanted to, it doesn’t need to do anything. BASSA and CC89 are doing a perfectly good job of that themselves!

[Alasdair]

http://m.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/oct/29/british-airways-back-black-profit?cat=business&type=article

Note the part which states BA still has a considerable cash cushion of £1.8 billion.

And may I ask Hipo, what are the permanent structural changes being made to cut costs at the top? That department which should set a precedent for the rest of the company.

[Hippocampus]

Alasdair

Where have you been?

Other BA departments have already gone through massive permanent structural changes. There was a mass cull of senior managers at Head Office 2-3 years ago. Other Head Office functions have been outsourced/moved offshore. It’s the same for other BA departments that have been through significant structural changes (enginering, ground staff..)

If you think £1.8bn is a lot of cash for an airline, then you are mistaken. A lot of that is revenue from unfulfilled bookings. Then there are debts that need to be paid off. Then there is a contingency for the periodic one off hits due to severe weather, airspace closures etc. And if your cash balance starts getting too low suppliers start gettiing nervous and demand upfront payment for fuel etc. Then the situation spirals out of control.

BA is now in a financially stable position but that it is because of permanent structural change elsewhere in the business.

You need only look at the current oil price and events in the Middle East to see that there is never any time to be complacent and no airline can afford to avoid difficult issues and tolerate inefficiencies.

BASSA have tried to make this personal and BA has resisted (in the face of considerable provocation) doing so and maintained a professional business like approach to this. The fundamental error BASSA has made in this dispute is not to appreciate that this dispute is not about union busting/macho machismo management bullies throwing their weight around. It is about business.

If BASSA is to have any hope of salvaging anything from this dispute, it needs to learn this pretty quickly.

[Alasdair]

So you are saying those bonuses and pay rises were in line with company wide strategy? Also, that this level of profit, even greater cannot be achieved with leaving existing crew on their contracts & ending this ID?

By the way, classic busting techniques haves troubled the unions, like staff travel etc etc not in-fighting.

[VintageKrug]

Indeed, BA culled approximately 750 Senior Managers and Managers in 2009:

“BA is clearly aiming for a serious cull of its senior and middle management here, as it looks to trim its second biggest cost line (after – you guessed it – rocket fuel). So there’ll be some high-level casualties before the year is out: some of those being offered redundancy are earning up to £250,000.

Walsh, who apparently delivered the bad news personally to his top brass yesterday, argues that BA had no choice:

‘We are in the worst trading environment the industry has ever faced, and we must take action to offset the combined effects of the continuing global economic downturn, weakened consumer confidence and high fuel prices,’ the airline said in a statement today.”

http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/845844/Under-fire-BA-begins-management-cull/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH

[Alasdair]

Er, September 2008… Things have obviously improved since!

[VintageKrug]

As has already been set out in a very easy-to-understand language, it was compulsory staff reductions such as those made amongst BA’s Senior Management and Management ranks which reduced the cost base and averted the threat of bankruptcy.

From 2008 (when that article was written) BASSA refused any cost reductions, until they were legally imposed (an action supported by the High Court):

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2010/302.html

Compulsory redundancies have never been asked of cabin crew, and still form no part of the settlement offered to crew:

http://www.uniteba.com/ESW/Files/151010_Revised_Offer_Collectivev6.doc

[CallMeIshmael]

BA were and are still grossly overmanned with management and office workers – the problem is worse than the NHS, only there they call them bureaucrats.

Similar to the NHS the bureaucrats are trying to preserve their jobs over the front line troops.

The lack of compulsory redundancies amongst CC was not as an act of largese as BA-legal-luvies would like to spin, but more an act of pragmatism as no redundancies amongst crew were needed – they had a front line job to do, a fact born out by MF recruitment.

Well run companies target the fat in the back office – there is still much to do there. Around 8-10% overcapacity allowing for VCC to fulfill their SEP and recency for example. The squadron of highly expensive lawyers, a platoon of PR, as well as a raft of Waterside dwellers would be a good start.

I wonder if they have taken a leaf out of the red-led Manchester City council who are targeting closure of the libraries, swimming pools and toilets whilst awarding their CEO a 31% increase in 5 years and preserving the “expressive arts technician” and “nuclear free.. policy and research officer” positions on salaries up to £38k.

[MartynSinclair]

Just so I have got this straight, becasue I cant seem to find anything on Sky News,

The Industrial Action by parts of BA cabin crew is now over, no one is in dispute, all cabin crew will be reporting for duty and everything is back to normal. Employee / employer relations are good again??

If thats the case, superb, thank you very much well over!!

Is this 100% correct – cos reading through these posts, I understand that there is going to be no strike, but I cant read anything about peace at mill,

Or may be I need to walk down Sukhumvit to buy some reading glasses.

BTW – what was the result of the outstanding staff travel issues, presume that this has also been fully resolved by the position remianing the same…..

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