rant British Airways - Anyone else about to have Xmas ruined?

[JamesArup]

Grrrr,

 

Anyone else about to have a potential ruined Christmas thanks to the money-grabbing fools at BA?

 

My Girlfriend is flying over from Madrid on the 22nd to visit the UK and my family for the first time. We've booked restaraunts, planned family meals, shopping trips and gone to lots of effort and expense to make her feel at home. The potential that this is about to be ruined is irritating (that was the HEAVILY censored version).

 

And that's just the start of it. We were also both supposed to be flying back to Madrid (I have a flat there) to spend New Year with friends on the 28th (right in the middle of the proposed walkout) and I am due to fly back on the last day of the action to start work again! All in all, I have about £600 worth of flights tied up in all this!!

 

After 2 years of babbling on about it, I am so excited to FINALLY show her the car that counts as my 2nd girlfriend (if I get her back in time /prays) that I will go postal if a bunch of selfish people ruin this!

 

I am sure they have a good reason to strike (although reading all the various reports, it seems that actually they are a bunch disallusioned money-grabbing fools who should be thankful they have a job at all), but why in the name of all that is holy do they choose Christmas! After what has been a pretty crappy year for everyone, Christmas is a chance to just get together and try to enjoy the good things ... oh wait, no .... RUINED! Thanks! Season of Good Will my A**E !! This is like the Grinch and Scrooge combined on an industrial scale!!

 

If this goes ahead, it's almost certainly going to be the end of BA, and then none of them will have a job. And will I care .... NO!

 

I really hope they sort this out before it's allowed to go ahead, or at least move it to a time where families and children and friends aren't going to have to suffer any more than they already have during this crappy year!

 

/takes a deep breath. Rant over

 

p.s. I reserve the right to rant again when the annoyance begins to bubble up again (usually around 12.00 when there is a queue for coffee)

 

Cheers, J

[jazz1]

I would not blame the BA staff its not their fault i would blame the director willy walsh who fu*ked them over

[AJI]

I was listening to one of the cabin crew this morning on TV who was in favour of his union's actions over this.

He was saying that BA were introducing a 30% salary cut in order to claw back some of the billion £ debt they are in.

But a 30% salary cut meant that this individual could not life his life.

 

WTF?

 

So the other option is to run a company into the ground and have no job at all...in effect a 100% salary cut.

 

 

In hard times such as a recession why can't individuals accept that they can not ask for such high paid salaries?

These BA staff already get over and above the going rate compared to other airlines.

 

Greedy barsticks, that's all I can say.

[Thorin]

Kill them all.

[tbourner]

Kill them all.

 

with fire.

[JamesArup]

Not sure if this is true, but it says it's data from the Civil Aviation Authority

 

The average salary for BA’s 14,000 cabin crew, including bonuses and allowances, is £29,900, compared with £14,400 at Virgin Atlantic and £20,200 at easyJet.

 

BA’s pilots earn an average of £107,600, compared with £89,500 at Virgin and £71,400 at easyJet.

 

Sorry, what was their problem again? Yes, they are probably better than EasyJet (but far more expensive), but I would rate Virgin over BA for sure! They certainly can't ride the 'BA is holier than thou' wave anymore in terms of the competition they are up against!!

[stevie_b]

This strike seems to me to be another case of employees trying to blackmail employers. I too have heard in the news that BA cabin crew get paid significantly more than at competitor airlines. BA is at the mercy of economic conditions and the airlines have had a very rough time of it over the last year or two. It is not "too big to fail", it has to balance the books somehow, and it can and will go out of business unless they either cut costs, increase passenger numbers (tricky in the short-term), or both.

 

I doubt the British public (and politicians) would stomach another bail-out.

 

As always there are 2 sides to the story. Are BA cabin crew being squeezed to the point of either leaving or going on strike?

 

To the OP: does travel insurance cover any of the costs of booking alternative flights? Industrial action may well be one of the several insurance exclusions, and I imagine alternative flights are hard to come by.

[AndyT]

It's going to mess up my work flight on the 2nd. Then again I don't pay for the ticket and it's up to personnel to sort it out.

[Meko]

He was saying that BA were introducing a 30% salary cut in order to claw back some of the billion £ debt they are in.

But a 30% salary cut meant that this individual could not life his life.

 

WTF?

 

So the other option is to run a company into the ground and have no job at all...in effect a 100% salary cut.

 

 

In hard times such as a recession why can't individuals accept that they can not ask for such high paid salaries?

These BA staff already get over and above the going rate compared to other airlines.

 

Greedy barsticks, that's all I can say.

 

it depends how you look at it.

Striking for more money then yeah it's taking the piss as they're on 30k a year anyway. But going on strike so they don't have to take a 30% pay cut? sorry but i'd be there with them.

It's effectively a third of their wage, so their £30k goes down to 20k, i'm pretty sure they didn't take out their mortgages / loans / HP / etc basing their wages on 20k. I know i didn't!

So if their wages are to go down by £500 a month (rounded off after tax for the sake of it) then that's £500 a month they have to find elsewhere or £500 a month's worth of cut backs they have to make.

I'm pretty sure it isn't the staff who caused the company to have all their problems but it's the company who could force their staff to go homeless / bankrupt / face other financial difficulties. If you're earning 500k a year then 30% might not affect you too much, but when your take home pay is under £1900 a month a £500 a month deduction is a huge difference.

[Wez]

30% is a large chunk out of anyones salary.

 

How much has Terminal 5 cost them?

[Westcoaster]

I would not blame the BA staff its not their fault i would blame the director willy walsh who fu*ked them over

 

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

 

Wot he says! The strike ballot was overwhelmingly in favour of taking action, that says a lot.

 

I cant afford to fly with BA anyway, the only time I went on a BA flight (work booked it) the plane had to turn back with smoke in the cabin. First time I've seen a scared looking air stewardess!

 

It was fun seeing the fire engines chase up the runway after the plane!

[hoff]

Make pay cuts etc and keep your job, or: strike, losoe the company X amount of money and risk further cuts and job losses. I cant get my head around that, makes no sense to me.

 

It's a very selfish time to do it, as always, to try and force the hand of the company.

[Abz]

Make pay cuts etc and keep your job, or: strike, lose the company X amount of money and risk further cuts and job losses. I cant get my head around that, makes no sense to me.

 

It's a very selfish time to do it, as always to try and force the hand of the company.

 

Totally agree Adam.

 

BA asked them if they would work for free for 1 week so then BA can claw back some of the millions they are in debt with shareholders. This would have been an opportunity for the company to stop it from going to bankruptcy. Though due to the company having a Union, like most no one really went along with this.

 

Personally if the company I work for asked me to do this in order to save the company I work for which in turn would save my job, what is 1 weeks wages?

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble James, hopefully it will work out okay, at least you have enough notice about it... just don't keep your hopes high so then you won't be disappointed as much.

[Whitesupraboy2]

No one on this forum would take a 30% pay cut without a fight. I know i wouldnt and if you would, your gonna be walked over your whole working life.

 

You say ruin peoples Xmas's....however BA are trying to ruin theres with a 30% pay cut.

[supradibbs]

Am sorry to hear this but no other industry out there would ask the employees to sacrifice so much i went through the same with American Airlines a few years back, and let me tell you it sucks.

 

For too long workers in the Airline industry have been shafted maybe less shampange at the share holders meetings and BA would not be in this mess find other ways not grapping from you hard working employees.

 

Viva la revolution

[Lbm]

So in short, I take it BA have been overpaying wages by about 30% and the figure they'd like to reduce pay by is, about 30%?

[tbourner]

find other ways not grapping from you hard working employees.

 

That's the way it is! We didn't get a choice at work you just get your redundancy letter and that's it. Now we're getting back on our feet most of the people are back working here again but at the time it needed to happen otherwise we might have gone under. Bloody union groups shouldn't be allowed, it's just blackmail at the end of the day.

[Mike]

Make pay cuts etc and keep your job, or: strike, losoe the company X amount of money and risk further cuts and job losses. I cant get my head around that, makes no sense to me.

 

It's a very selfish time to do it, as always, to try and force the hand of the company.

 

I agree.

 

..but 30% is a lot to have taken away.. not sure what I'd do.

[AJI]

Yep, there are greedy barsticks on both sides of the argument.

But capitalism here in the UK doesn't seem to work in times of recession.

(Well in this particular one anyhow)

 

The BA staff really do need to suck it up and take the 30% cut. (Which is better money than being on job seeker allowance).

Then the bosses need to also take their cut and further sort out the company's finances.

 

The main problem being the share holders and their greed for capital returns. And then the likelyhood of a take-over bid from another airline.

[Abz]

So in short, I take it BA have been overpaying wages by about 30% and the figure they'd like to reduce pay by is, about 30%?

 

That's the way it is! We didn't get a choice at work you just get your redundancy letter and that's it. Now we're getting back on our feet most of the people are back working here again but at the time it needed to happen otherwise we might have gone under. Bloody union groups shouldn't be allowed, it's just blackmail at the end of the day.

 

True.

 

Why could they not do this strike in end of January? When less people will be flying? Why do it over Christmas so then more people will be flying and be effected... Oh thats right so then more people will be pissed off and use another company which in turn will make BA Bankrupt and BA staff will not have jobs.

 

Nice going BA Union.

[Wez]

Are we 100% sure that they are looking to cut existing Salaries by 30%

 

Other info that is floating about is that they are in fact reducing overtime and new employees would be starting on a 30% less salary. The reduction of staff in the flights is one way to reduce the overtime and although they are reducing the staff number the other side to it is that the supervisor would then serve, so you have the same number of people serving on board, other airlines have there supervisors serving so I dont see this as an issue.

[Snooze]

The 30% lower salary is only for new staff. Existing staff are facing a 2-year pay freeze.

 

I think the main complaint is about the change made back in November to reduce long-haul staffing from 15 crew to 14, so the remaining crew have to do something like 15% more work on those flights.

 

To be honest, with or without this strike or these changes, BA are looking right up sh*t creek anyway. Walsh is doing well to hang on to his job at the moment!

[stevie_b]

Existing staff are facing a 2-year pay freeze.

 

I think the main complaint is about the change made back in November to reduce long-haul staffing from 15 crew to 14, so the remaining crew have to do something like 15% more work on those flights.

 

A 2-year pay freeze is not something to throw your toys out the pram for. This is not helping me feel any more sympathetic towards the strikers.

[JamesArup]

Well, if what Snooze said is the truth, then I have absolutely no sympathy for them whatsoever!

 

In the current climate I think most people would take a freeze and be happy to have a job, especially given their pay compared to the competitors.

 

I was made redundant a year ago, and I would have taken a 2 year pay freeze without more than 1 second of thought! It's a no-brainer!

 

And reducing 1 member of staff on a flight! Oh come on! My department of 10 people was reduced to 6, and I do a hell of a lot more than give people overpriced 'shots' of Coke and patronise them about how to put a seatbelt on! We pulled together as a team, counted ourselves lucky that we weren't one of the 4 that went (this is my new job btw) and got on with what we had to do.

 

Although, to be fair, if we decided to strike, FIFA or Battlefield would be delayed by a week ... hardly going to ruin tens of thousands of people's Christmas

 

Cheers, J

[Ark]

30% is a large chunk out of anyones salary.

 

How much has Terminal 5 cost them?

 

Terminal 5 is owned by BAA - separate company.

 

To the OP - forget flying, book on the ferry to Santander, take the car with you and drive across to Madrid. Travel with a bit of style and leg room, all for ~£100 each way.

 

Book a cabin for two, if you think you'll get bored en route!