BA Strike [Merged]

[Westdene Seagull]

BA strikers to forfeit cheap travel perks

Further strikes are set to take place this weekend
British Airways cabin crew who took part in the Unite union's three-day strike will forfeit their travel perks permanently, the company has confirmed.

Staff are eligible for free and heavily discounted flights, depending on how long they have worked for BA.

Unite condemned the move, confirmed in a letter to strikers, as "vindictive" and said it would challenge it.

Meanwhile, the UK Supreme Court has sent a dispute over BA pilots' holiday pay to the European Court of Justice.

The striking staff had been warned by BA's chief executive Willie Walsh before they took part in the action on Saturday, Sunday and Monday that they were at risk of losing the perks.

Hundreds of crew members are believed to be affected.

Discretionary

A BA spokesman said: "Staff travel offers heavily discounted travel to employees. This is a non-contractual perk that the company can withdraw at its discretion.

"The industrial action impacted on our operation and our customers and we will undoubtedly suffer additional costs and further losses as a result."

A spokesman for Unite said: "This is the clearest possible example of BA's bullying and contemptuous approach to its employees. Cabin crew showed last weekend that they will not be intimidated.

"Unite will challenge this vindictive move in whatever way seems appropriate."

The joint leader of Unite, Tony Woodley, had told strikers on Monday that he believed the long-established discounts were not just a perk but "custom and practice".

But British Airways said it has lost at least £21m because of the action. Further strikes are set to take place this weekend.

'Pay freeze'

The strike action is the latest episode in a long-running dispute over changes to pay and conditions by BA that union Unite claims are being unfairly imposed on its members.

Workers are particularly angry that last November BA reduced the number of crew on long-haul flights and is introducing a two-year pay freeze from 2010.


Strikers received a letter telling them would lose their perks
The airline also proposed new contracts with lower pay for fresh recruits.

Meanwhile, a dispute between the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) and British Airways over holiday pay is continuing to play out in the courts.

The association wants BA pilots' holiday pay to be based on what they actually earn. Currently it is based on their basic pay without any allowances included.

But BA is resisting the claim, which could lead to more than 3,000 of its pilots each getting an average of £600 a year more.

Since this is a test case, this could potentially affect up to 12,000 pilots and cabin crew working for BA and other airlines.

The Supreme Court has decided the issue of paid annual leave comes under European law and so have sent it on to the European courts.

BA has always maintained that its holiday pay arrangements are "generous", and comply with legislative requirements.

 

[Rookie]

Good, have to stand up to 70's throw backs

 

[bhaexpress]

Totally agree with that. Frankly BA staff get paid a lot more than the likes of Easyjet and the charter airlines and always have. Not a scrap of sympathy as their employer is losing money hand over fist so why should they not make some compromises like other people have to ? Look at all those unfortunate bankers for a start.

 

[keaton]

Good, have to stand up to 70's throw backs

Yeah, f*** Kasabian

 

[Lincoln Imp]

The only people who strike are those in state industries, or their successor organisations. Generally they have better pay, better conditions, greater security and vastly better pensions than their poor sod equivalents in the private sector and still they winge. I spent 17 years working for Royal Mail and it was like being on another planet.

 

[Simster]

This dispute seems quite unusual to me, in that the public seem to have very little sympathy with the union strikers.

Not surprising when you consider how much better off they are than other people in the same industry working for other firms. Mind you, there is no doubt that removing these perks really is tantamount to bullying and playing into the union's hands to be honest. Afterall, those perks were only ever a way of using up otherwise empty seats...

 

[Icy Gull]

Catastrophic own goal by anyone who went on strike, the travel perks for employees and their very extended families are massive and probably worth a few grand a year alone. I have zero sympathy for BA Heathrow cabin crew.

 

[little al]

Totally agree with that. Frankly BA staff get paid a lot more than the likes of Easyjet and the charter airlines and always have. Not a scrap of sympathy as their employer is losing money hand over fist so why should they not make some compromises like other people have to ? Look at all those unfortunate bankers for a start.

Thats a bit of a myth, the older Heathrow based staff are on a great wage, but Gatwick based staff are on a par with other carriers. My sister in law crossed the picket line to work.

 

[bhaexpress]

This dispute seems quite unusual to me, in that the public seem to have very little sympathy with the union strikers.

Not surprising when you consider how much better off they are than other people in the same industry working for other firms. Mind you, there is no doubt that removing these perks really is tantamount to bullying and playing into the union's hands to be honest. Afterall, those perks were only ever a way of using up otherwise empty seats...

Yes there's a trade off there though. Years ago we used to do what was called a 'Beer Run' We would get a free flight to any German city and order beer by telex fron Gatwick (I said it was a while ago). You could get six cases of beer for about 12 pence a can. You were limited to six cases. However, the problem was that some people (ground engineers) got greedy. They could offload their beers direct from the aircraft and not take them through customs as they would take them off to their airside workshops. The real issue was that they would get well over the six cases for a start and that greatly added to an aircraft's weight thus making it burn more fuel (and of course it was illegal).

Some people seem to think perks are a given and are inclined to take the piss.

 

[bhaexpress]

Thats a bit of a myth, the older Heathrow based staff are on a great wage, but Gatwick based staff are on a par with other carriers. My sister in law crossed the picket line to work.

Not really, they still get better perks. For a start the likes of Easyjet don't get paid while they are training. Not many do long haul either so no night stops and the allowances that go with that. Seeing as how many airlines have failed over the years if BA need to tighten their belts they should do, rather than going cap in hand to the tax payer to bale them out.

 

[VeronaSeagull]

If they don't like the new conditions go work for someone else, not like there aren't other airlines out there.....oh wait, none of them pay as well! Unfortunately removing the perks will probably be challenge in the high court and deemed to be discrimination as the strike was legal and they are only removing perks from those who went on strike.....

 

[captainmorganrum]

I'm sure BA wanted to trim the perks anyway, and penalising the striking staff is a way for them to cut costs even further.
In a way the unions are playing into BA's hands.

Oh, and I was looking forward to tv shots of the most glamourous picket lines ever.
Boy, was I disappointed!

 

[glasfryn]

don't have much sympathy with the strikers or BA.
the strikers for working for such a shit company and BA for being BA,does no one remember the dirty tricks campaign against Virgin who although a huge profit making concern do look after their staff very well don't pay as well as BA but there always was a queque to work for them.

don't do much international travel but if I did I certainly would never consider using BA

 

[BobbySmith]

I think there is always 2 sides to any dispute and I think that the Cabin Crew are getting some bad press as the Willy Walsh Spin is working. BA stated that most planes were flying, that was not true, if you see the airshot of Heathrow over the past few days, it was covered with BA planes all over the place. Also it is not all about money, the long hall crew have been cut by quite a bit, which means that they do not get a break on board, that could effect safety. Some Air Crew earn more that other companies, some dont , but I am sure that some people in all proffesions get more, I know that happens in my industry, that is a fact of life.

Also the biggest pain for the stopping of cheap flights is more for the crew to get to work, a lot of air crew live all over the country and will have to pay full price on flights just to get to work ?, which is not fair in my book. Also yes they do get cheap flights but only to fill up empty seats, so it does not cost BA much to do that.

 

[bhaexpress]

Oh, and I was looking forward to tv shots of the most glamourous picket lines ever.
Boy, was I disappointed!

Let me tell you, the only good looking cabin staff tend to be the gay men. Asian and Middle East Airlines can be good but AMericans are not so much so. Having said that when I fly I would rather have some middle aged person who knows their job than some of the bimbos I met when I worked for an airline.

 

[Icy Gull]

the long hall crew have been cut by quite a bit, which means that they do not get a break on board, that could effect safety. .

15 to 14, in line with most other carriers I believe.

Quite where this idea that cabin crew only get to fill empty seats comes from is a mystery, I know plenty of people, connected with BA who have travelled on BA peak season dates (eg xmas to Cape Town for example) at very low rates. The whole family, whether they work for BA or not can also travel at low rates also and on guaranteed seats not standby. I believe that the higher up the chain you are the better the free/reduced travel perks are.

 

[NS Herald]

Yes there's a trade off there though. Years ago we used to do what was called a 'Beer Run' We would get a free flight to any German city and order beer by telex fron Gatwick (I said it was a while ago). You could get six cases of beer for about 12 pence a can. You were limited to six cases. However, the problem was that some people (ground engineers) got greedy. They could offload their beers direct from the aircraft and not take them through customs as they would take them off to their airside workshops. The real issue was that they would get well over the six cases for a start and that greatly added to an aircraft's weight thus making it burn more fuel (and of course it was illegal).

Some people seem to think perks are a given and are inclined to take the piss.

Oh those were happy days. I would do my night shift in ops and then pop over to Frankfurt - collect a few cases and then back on the return flight. The look of people as you came thorugh arrivals in the South Terminal as you had no luggage and just a trolley piled up with cases of beer was priceless

 

[BobbySmith]

Well i was told 12 to 8, I think you will find there is different levels of longhaul flights

 

[BensGrandad]

What most people forget is that staff travel at BA is not free and is 100% profit. If Willie Wlash wanted to use staff travel and a full fare paying passenger wanted the seat the paying passenger would get it. Mt brother has just been to Thailand with his wife on his 'freebie' which cost £275 with fuel taxes etc, cheap yes but not free. That £275 is all profit to BA except for any meals that they may have had, which would have been disposed of at the end of the journey if not eaten so again no cost to BA. What hasnt been said by Willie Walsh is that yes they are flying 80% more planes than expected but most are empty and are being flown with just cargo. There are 2 sides to every argument and Willie Walsh has cost BA an absolute fortune since he has been chairman with fines etc.

 

[Icy Gull]

Well i was told 12 to 8, I think you will find there is different levels of longhaul flights

Somebody is telling you porkies, I think a cut of one is the maximum

British Airways to cut long-haul cabin crew without union approval - Times Online