I did not think I would be commenting on this subject again but, instead of fading into apathy and compromise it is back again. BA made another of its final offers and the union involved was expected to ballot the cabin crew. But the unions did an about turn and has delayed the ballot despite admitting that it was the best deal they could achieve through negotiation. Why? Because I believe they think it would be too damaging for the union.
The crazy thing is that the main disagreements that caused the strike have mainly gone away in that BA has won the essential core of disputed issues. All that is left is the argument concerning staff travel perks. What is the problem? Well, in précis BA gave advance notice that all striking cabin crew would lose these perks. From what I understand the union went to the crew and told them to take no notice as they would get the concessions back for them within the dispute settlement. Partly on this basis enough of the crew voted to strike.
We now have a very large, proud and, in my view, arrogant union that promised something they are having difficulty delivering. Initially BA said a firm no to any kind of renewal of perks to strikers. They pointed out that they told the union at the time they would not move on this once the discounts were forfeited. This silly issue involving a reasonably small number of cabin crew now reached a disproportionate level of intensity purely because the union had dug itself a big negotiating hole and jumped in it. A perfect example of the expression ‘pride comes before a fall’.
And then BA relented. Well, not exactly relented but at least came up with a compromise of sorts. They offered to give the perks back to strikers. But there is a catch as they were not going to give this up for nothing further in return. BA have demanded a guarantee of no industrial action for at least 3 years and also any current legal action by the unions to be stopped.
They then went further to say all strikers would lose their seniority status for these discount and standby tickets until 2013. This is quite ‘serious’ as seniority and years served determines where you are in the queue for these tickets. To places like Barbados there can be scores of crew standing by. In fact, on one memorable occasion BA had to send a 747 to Barbados purely to pick up stranded standby staff. The strikers do not want to lose their status but BA knows that this is the only thing they can do to appease all those majority of staff who did not strike. After all these loyal staff would be pretty mad if they saw the strikers getting away with it by winning this point.
So, the soap opera continues. The argument that led to the strike have to a great extent gone. Instead a bi-product of the negotiations may cause yet another strike possibly some time in March 2011. At least Christmas is safe…I think. The union will ultimately ballot the staff once more but will not recommend the latest BA offer which they are now saying is “a step too far.” This sounds a bit different to their earlier comment about it being “the very best available through negotiation”.
What a fuss over a few cheap staff tickets. However daft I do not see where resolution will come from without a major and damaging stand down by the union. They know that this is no longer really about tickets. It is about the credibility of the union movement in the UK. What a mighty hole they dug for themselves over such an unimportant argument
Showing posts with label BA strike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BA strike. Show all posts
‘Unite’d they fall at BA
It is now getting really disappointing as, after the most recent ballot, the Unite union claims another mandate to strike. They claim the cabin crew are behind them but I would question that after looking at the following vote results.
BA has around 13,000 crew of which about 11,000 are with the disputing union (Unite). The number of crew to actually vote was 5,105 (approx 39% of the workforce) and 3,419 wanted to strike. This means the percentage of BA crew voting to strike was a mere 26%. A mandate to strike? I don’t think so. Especially as I hear that because there is a little remaining internal solidarity amongst the crews it was enough for those who no longer wish to strike to not vote at all this time around. Otherwise it would have been a very different result.
One of the saddest things about this is the impact this dispute has had within the various factions amongst the cabin crew. Many of the main strike supporters are well known in BA circles as long time militants and non representative of the main workforce. Separately some non striking crews have had their cars vandalised in the BA secure staff car parks and face great hostility when they try to work. I cannot see the scars of this strike action healing for years to come let alone by the ultimate end of the dispute. They have turned against each other in a very emotional manner.
Meanwhile the union is fighting for its future credibility after making promises of regaining concessions and lost travel perks as the strike intensified. They got it horribly wrong as, from what I can see, BA has drawn a clear line in the sand and said not only ‘no further’ but ‘you will get less’ as the action continues. Whilst this has been going on BA has not only won the support of its investors, many clients and most TMCs but also issued new contracts to non striking staff and started employing a whole new workforce.
So now we have a different kind of ‘impasse’. OK, the current dispute is no nearer resolution and the strikers are still being used as cannon fodder by Unite in it’s increasingly political campaign but meanwhile BA have quietly advanced plans to make the striking crew surplus to requirements. They must be sharpening the axes at H.Q as I write.
Is there going to be a winner in this dispute? Yes there certainly will. BA will finally clean up a significant amount of the industrial mess left by previous executive management and ultimately build foundations that will enable them to compete more effectively with their rivals. But there will be losers too. A union with a bruised ego and a whole lot of crew out there trying to find new jobs only to discover that the pay is not what they have come to expect. Ironic really.
BA has around 13,000 crew of which about 11,000 are with the disputing union (Unite). The number of crew to actually vote was 5,105 (approx 39% of the workforce) and 3,419 wanted to strike. This means the percentage of BA crew voting to strike was a mere 26%. A mandate to strike? I don’t think so. Especially as I hear that because there is a little remaining internal solidarity amongst the crews it was enough for those who no longer wish to strike to not vote at all this time around. Otherwise it would have been a very different result.
One of the saddest things about this is the impact this dispute has had within the various factions amongst the cabin crew. Many of the main strike supporters are well known in BA circles as long time militants and non representative of the main workforce. Separately some non striking crews have had their cars vandalised in the BA secure staff car parks and face great hostility when they try to work. I cannot see the scars of this strike action healing for years to come let alone by the ultimate end of the dispute. They have turned against each other in a very emotional manner.
Meanwhile the union is fighting for its future credibility after making promises of regaining concessions and lost travel perks as the strike intensified. They got it horribly wrong as, from what I can see, BA has drawn a clear line in the sand and said not only ‘no further’ but ‘you will get less’ as the action continues. Whilst this has been going on BA has not only won the support of its investors, many clients and most TMCs but also issued new contracts to non striking staff and started employing a whole new workforce.
So now we have a different kind of ‘impasse’. OK, the current dispute is no nearer resolution and the strikers are still being used as cannon fodder by Unite in it’s increasingly political campaign but meanwhile BA have quietly advanced plans to make the striking crew surplus to requirements. They must be sharpening the axes at H.Q as I write.
Is there going to be a winner in this dispute? Yes there certainly will. BA will finally clean up a significant amount of the industrial mess left by previous executive management and ultimately build foundations that will enable them to compete more effectively with their rivals. But there will be losers too. A union with a bruised ego and a whole lot of crew out there trying to find new jobs only to discover that the pay is not what they have come to expect. Ironic really.
Back to surprises
Having been basking in the Maldives sun for the last 16 days I was starved for news and fortunately missed the UK election circus. Now I am back I have been getting all sorts of surprises. For example we seem to have two sworn political enemies walking around like love struck teenagers vowing to run the country in a ‘grown up’ way. Good to see but scary as well in that you can win a fraction of seats yet become a deputy prime minister these days. Who needs proportional representation when you can do this without it! I wonder how long it will be before the first lovers’ tantrum.
Surprise number two was to hear talk about the abandoning of Heathrow’s expansion plans. This kind of madness could only happen in the UK. You go out and review, consult, consider then come to a conclusion. You make an announcement and then…..it gets banned a few weeks later. Why did they bother in the first place?
Finally I have observed with increasing incredulity that the BA cabin crew will be striking again. Are they crazy? Can they not see that BA management (who incidentally just sacked the crew’s troublesome union rep) are simply not going to back down? Mind you I said the same thing about Heathrow expansion. BA are going to try and stop it through the courts presumably on the basis that the votes were cast on the internet with only 2000 responses which is hardly a mandate I would have thought. My sources tell me that by the end of the last strike over 70% of crew were turning up anyway. To me this is a much clearer mandate for calling the strike off.
Finally, I see Virgin may soon be getting a much overdue bashing in the courts. I am not keen on whistle blowers and I deplored the way they stitched BA up in order to protect themselves for doing the same thing. Now Cathay is doing the same thing to them which I find ironic. Can it be that the UK’s favourite entrepreneur Richard Branson is a serial price fixer? I could not possibly say but I am sure time and courts will tell. Surely not!
Surprise number two was to hear talk about the abandoning of Heathrow’s expansion plans. This kind of madness could only happen in the UK. You go out and review, consult, consider then come to a conclusion. You make an announcement and then…..it gets banned a few weeks later. Why did they bother in the first place?
Finally I have observed with increasing incredulity that the BA cabin crew will be striking again. Are they crazy? Can they not see that BA management (who incidentally just sacked the crew’s troublesome union rep) are simply not going to back down? Mind you I said the same thing about Heathrow expansion. BA are going to try and stop it through the courts presumably on the basis that the votes were cast on the internet with only 2000 responses which is hardly a mandate I would have thought. My sources tell me that by the end of the last strike over 70% of crew were turning up anyway. To me this is a much clearer mandate for calling the strike off.
Finally, I see Virgin may soon be getting a much overdue bashing in the courts. I am not keen on whistle blowers and I deplored the way they stitched BA up in order to protect themselves for doing the same thing. Now Cathay is doing the same thing to them which I find ironic. Can it be that the UK’s favourite entrepreneur Richard Branson is a serial price fixer? I could not possibly say but I am sure time and courts will tell. Surely not!
Do academics understand the real world?
I don't think so if the group who wrote to the Guardian newspaper about the intransigence of Willie Walsh and British Airways management are an example. What they appear to be complaining about is that Mr Walsh is actually doing what he repeatedly warned the staff and unions he would. That does not seem such a heinous approach to me.
To my mind Willie Walsh currently has the easiest job in the World. His strategy is a no brainer in that he will not have an airline to run unless he does what he is doing plus he is getting general support from customers, other employees and importantly his shareholders. How many other bosses could claim that!
As for the cabin crew I really feel for them. Their unions have led them on a dangerous path, they are fighting the inevitable and, if they win they will probably lose both their jobs and pensions in the process. As for those worthy academics? I suggest they do their sums and realise that for this airline to survive maybe some "unilateral management" and bruising a militant union's egos is an acceptable price to pay for staying in business.
To my mind Willie Walsh currently has the easiest job in the World. His strategy is a no brainer in that he will not have an airline to run unless he does what he is doing plus he is getting general support from customers, other employees and importantly his shareholders. How many other bosses could claim that!
As for the cabin crew I really feel for them. Their unions have led them on a dangerous path, they are fighting the inevitable and, if they win they will probably lose both their jobs and pensions in the process. As for those worthy academics? I suggest they do their sums and realise that for this airline to survive maybe some "unilateral management" and bruising a militant union's egos is an acceptable price to pay for staying in business.
Thought for the day
If BA cabin crew continue to strike and the airline goes bust who will pay their pensions? At the last count there was an enormous black hole in their pension fund.
Pass me that self destruct button please.
Pass me that self destruct button please.
Death Wish 6 – Up in the air (not)
So the BA cabin crew unions have decided to call two strikes of three days and four days each.
This would make good background for a blockbusting film of what life was like when unions controlled industry and businesses were driven to ruin.
With this in mind I have written to Michael Winner and suggested he stops appearing in all those silly television advertisements and returns to films in order to direct “Death Wish 6”a tale of intransigence, greed and revenge. I think Charles Bronson is now too old for the lead role so I suggested the blind union leader could be Len McCluskey (playing himself).
The storyline is no longer fully played out yet by I predict that a mighty plague is likely to play its part. This will be when a huge number of supposed ‘strikers’ will phone in sick in order to try and keep off the ‘punishment’ list BA will be compiling. Every time there has been a strike in the past the BA ‘sick’ list multiplies alarmingly. I expect that is why the union has changed plans from one long strike to two short ones as it is easier to throw a ‘sickie’ for a few days.
I am still waiting for Michael Winner to get back to me. Equally BA has still not responded to my application for cabin crew. Do you think they are both trying to tell me something?
This would make good background for a blockbusting film of what life was like when unions controlled industry and businesses were driven to ruin.
With this in mind I have written to Michael Winner and suggested he stops appearing in all those silly television advertisements and returns to films in order to direct “Death Wish 6”a tale of intransigence, greed and revenge. I think Charles Bronson is now too old for the lead role so I suggested the blind union leader could be Len McCluskey (playing himself).
The storyline is no longer fully played out yet by I predict that a mighty plague is likely to play its part. This will be when a huge number of supposed ‘strikers’ will phone in sick in order to try and keep off the ‘punishment’ list BA will be compiling. Every time there has been a strike in the past the BA ‘sick’ list multiplies alarmingly. I expect that is why the union has changed plans from one long strike to two short ones as it is easier to throw a ‘sickie’ for a few days.
I am still waiting for Michael Winner to get back to me. Equally BA has still not responded to my application for cabin crew. Do you think they are both trying to tell me something?
An Open Letter to British Airways
Dear Mr Walsh
I am writing today to apply for the part-time job of cabin crew.
This will probably come as a big a surprise to you as it was to my wife. "Don't be ridiculous" she said. "You are 61, retired and can barely boil an egg". Whilst she is right on at least two counts I still feel compelled to publicly put myself forward for this position and explain why.
There is a real chance that by the time this message gets to you the Unite union may have their mandate to call a BA cabin crew strike as it seems that despite losing two court cases they will not listen to the obvious reasons why they shouldn't. If they go ahead then you will, I am sure, do everything you can to minimise disruption to your passengers and operate a full schedule. This is where I come in. Despite maybe seeming rather absurd I feel compelled to offer even my services if it means playing a part in halting this militant union's self destructive action. Please allow me to explain why I feel so strongly.
Unless I am missing something you already pay your cabin crew more salary and allowances than competing airlines. Unless I am missing something else I understand that you have already come to agreements with other sections of your team (pilots etc) who have understood that you have to become competitive or suffer the likely consequences. Finally I believe your new package on offer has been amended after negotiation in order to make it far more palatable to existing staff who will still be better off than flying for Virgin and most other airlines.
Frankly I do not really understand why such a 'no brainer' of a deal is being rejected by the Unite union. To me it is because they are either naïve or have another agenda. Could it be that they see this as a means to go back to the old union 'glory days' of the Scargil era. I hope not but they already seem to be using some of the old terminology that most people hoped had been consigned to the history books.
Mr Walsh, please consider my offer and let me know if you need my c.v. I think you find I have rather a broad experience of flying going back 40 years or so and, despite what my wife says, I make a mean boiled egg! Call on me and I will be there and I expect many others would too.
Yours sincerely
Mike Platt
Former Managing Director of HRG UK
I am writing today to apply for the part-time job of cabin crew.
This will probably come as a big a surprise to you as it was to my wife. "Don't be ridiculous" she said. "You are 61, retired and can barely boil an egg". Whilst she is right on at least two counts I still feel compelled to publicly put myself forward for this position and explain why.
There is a real chance that by the time this message gets to you the Unite union may have their mandate to call a BA cabin crew strike as it seems that despite losing two court cases they will not listen to the obvious reasons why they shouldn't. If they go ahead then you will, I am sure, do everything you can to minimise disruption to your passengers and operate a full schedule. This is where I come in. Despite maybe seeming rather absurd I feel compelled to offer even my services if it means playing a part in halting this militant union's self destructive action. Please allow me to explain why I feel so strongly.
Unless I am missing something you already pay your cabin crew more salary and allowances than competing airlines. Unless I am missing something else I understand that you have already come to agreements with other sections of your team (pilots etc) who have understood that you have to become competitive or suffer the likely consequences. Finally I believe your new package on offer has been amended after negotiation in order to make it far more palatable to existing staff who will still be better off than flying for Virgin and most other airlines.
Frankly I do not really understand why such a 'no brainer' of a deal is being rejected by the Unite union. To me it is because they are either naïve or have another agenda. Could it be that they see this as a means to go back to the old union 'glory days' of the Scargil era. I hope not but they already seem to be using some of the old terminology that most people hoped had been consigned to the history books.
Mr Walsh, please consider my offer and let me know if you need my c.v. I think you find I have rather a broad experience of flying going back 40 years or so and, despite what my wife says, I make a mean boiled egg! Call on me and I will be there and I expect many others would too.
Yours sincerely
Mike Platt
Former Managing Director of HRG UK
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