[rferguson]

AnthonyDun that may have been a quote from an interview with the Vueling CEO in the semi-public BA News that was repeated on here? He was asked the question ‘is it true Vueing has an issue with cabin crew turnover’. His answer was that ‘while its true annual cabin crew turnover is 40-50%’ that ‘this is not as a consequence of how we treat our employees but by design’.

[CXDiamond]

Given the number of mixed fleet crew it would be surprising if there were not some discontent in the ranks. As the size of the group grows it will remain a problem.

Unfortunately Walsh was very short sighted in his creation of this staff group and as I and others have said problems will come home to roost.

Cue Hippo who has been silent of late or one of his sad mates to say that I am totally wrong and misquote other things I’ve said as evidence of his position.

[BigDog.]

Methinks Mixed Fleet was more about getting carte blanche to bin a raft of agreements, including crew welfare ones, than significantly reducing costs.

Prior to mixed fleet, new recruits were already not on anything like the pay levels of long serving crew even though they were doing the same jobs.

Imo BA could have continued bringing the level of pay down to (just above)the market whilst benefiting from maintaining standards and having experienced/dedicated crew on flights helping to develop the new recruits, but chose to divide their front line instead so they could impose work-house rules.

[TheRumourMerchant]

StephenLondon – 29/05/2014 05:47 GMT

And which credible birds tells you this, Jacques Hylkema? Frank van der Post? Willie? Enquiring minds want to know.

Do you think I am going to share that with a BA toady? How long have you been working for Asset Protection?

[BigDog.]

Apparently Mixed Fleet – the “Outstanding” “Elite” but low cost cabin crew are being balloted for industrial action.

Though imho justifiable as they appear to be led by clueless leaders, who cannot be trusted from what could be called a burn and churn school of management, I doubt if it will get anywhere as basically MF cannot afford it and few view it as a career.

One hopes the press picks up on the story and embarrasses BA into improving the way it treats its front line staff.

[canucklad]

And ironically BA will find it hard to spin their management position positively, thanks to a certain documentary……….And sadly it’s the travelling public who will suffer if the ultimate sanction a disgruntled workforce can use is followed through.

[BusinessBabble]

I hardly think this headline is going to embarrass BA.

Also agree it’ll go no where, MF are paid the going rate to do the job they do, I think the majority of them must realise that and union membership is relatively low.

Seem to remember when the Virgin cabin crew threated to ballot for industrial action the headline from Branson was along the lines they should get a job elsewhere if they wanted more pay and that seemed to be the end of it.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/dec/31/world.theairlineindustry

My experiences of MF have all been very good.

[CXDiamond]

I think this has been a long time coming and it’s no surprise that these people are discontent particularly when they compare themselves to the other fleets.

Walsh made a huge mistake pushing this through and sooner or later it will come home to roost.

[SimonS1]

Ho hum.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/22/british-airways-strike-action-threat-pay-claim-ba

Base pay £12,000??

[mkcol74]

Yes SimonS1 that’s spot on – basic pay £12k before any allowances, which aren’t that substantial.

Were you expecting more or less?

[BigDog.]

Apparently

…BA cabin crew are now reliant on working tax credits to supplement basic salaries….

so the taxpayer is subbing BA’s payroll, I wonder what LH, AF and the Gulfies will have to say about that 😉

[Hauptmann]

BigDog

Still pushing out scurrilous rumours? BA needs to operate with a modern cost base to compete with the Gulf carriers and mixed fleet is achieving that, as well as providing excellent service levels, far better than the tired old efforts provided by the BASSA militants.

It is good that mixed fleet does not have any tie ups with BASSA, as union representation is good for lower paid workers, when the union focuses on providing decent working terms and conditions and does not behave like a bunch of trots, showing disgraceful pictures of Willie Walsh, photoshopped to look like the devil.

It seems from press reports that 95% of the mixed fleet crew questioned said they would vote for industrial action, but on closer examination, this relates to far fewer, as the sample questioned was a small portion of the whole, more spinning in the press, it would appear.

As for £12,000, Simons1, what is your problem? It is a legal wage and no one forces anyone to work for that amount, it was still a free country when I last looked, people want the cachet of working for one of the world’s best airlines on their c.v.’s, it will be great for their future careers.

Don’t forget that the £12,000 is only base salary and mixed fleet crew will earn more than this,when their allowances are taken into account, but the naysayers will always take the bleakest view and use their sophist skills to present BA in a bad light.

Willie Walsh was the architect of this excellent new approach to lowering BA’s cost base and making it a sustainable and profitable business, that has outperformed Lufthansa, AF/KLM and Flybe, he should be congratulated for his foresight.

[nmh1204]

£12,000 is more than the average worker earns. I don’t see the problem, or a need to strike.

[Xuluman]

I’m quite tired of hearing the usual rhetoric of needing a ‘modern cost base’ which is never applied to themselves. Instead it changes miraculously to needing to ‘attract the best talent’.

BA cabin crew used to have university degrees. Now with reference to the latest BA television programme, I show you the result of this ‘modern cost base’. And you want to applaud this direction?

It is now a lower value product, which will eventually be associated with a lower ticket price leading to lower revenue, and as consequence lower directors renumeration….or maybe they will just cut some more off the cost base to compensate.

Cabin Crew should not be paid less than a barrister at Starbucks.

[ImissConcorde]

Does the “barrister” at Starbucks help to defend their stance on tax payments to the UK exchequer?

[Author]

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