about the forthcoming BA strike?

[iwastooearlytobeayummymummy]

DS (11)is supposed to be going on a much anticipated school trip next week, but both outward and return dates are strike days.
I can't begin to tell you how much he has been looking forward to this trip.

DD3 (13 )is also away, at the same time, on a choir trip, but flying with another operator.

Excited at the prospect of 2 children away,and happy to leave DD2 ( 18) home alone, DH and I have booked a much needed break ourselves, first time away without the children in 5 years.

Now everything is 'up in the air', no pun intended .

Can somebeody please explain why cabin crew are so aggreived? I've had a look at BBC's overview of the reasons behind the strike, but don't really get it.I also work for an organisation ( local authority actually) that has announced a 2 year pay freeze, recruitment freeze and forthcoming redundancies. Apart from free tea bags and instant coffee I get no other priveliges.

IABU to think they've got nothing to strike over?

YANBU. They are being incredibly short sighted and arrogant.

Their actions could have a massive impact, hugely disproportionate to their grieviences.

just looked on BA website and his flight has been cancelled and

I am unsure as to why they are striking.

I know many that will not book with them for fear of these strikes.

I fear it may backfire on them when BA suffer major financial losses because of this and have to lay off lots of staff.
they are lucky they've got jobs!
YANBU, they are being very shortsighted. Sorry about your short break, is there anyone else who could help with DC's?
By the way, you are being very brave leaving 18yr old at home, you must have a very responsible one! My DS is nearly 18 & I wouldn't, especialy after remembering what my neighbours DS got upto the first time they left him.

Sorry, just spotted it's a DD who is 18, totally different kettle of fish. My 15 yr old DD1 is more responsible than my DS1!

iwastooearly...what wa the website as i am travelling on 20th too. But not with BA. Am travelling with thomson but wondering if it will affect them too.

I am a BA cabin crew. It's very disappointing to see how little the public know about the reasons behind our strike, and how so many of them think we earn a fortune. So, here goes:

• we are striking against changes which have been imposed on us without consulting with our unions first. For example, a crew member has been removed on each flight, when we already have fewer crew on each plane than our competitors. Trust me it's now impossible to deliver the type of service we're expected to deliver.

• there are other, unofficial reasons for the strike. We can't mention them as reasons for strike as they are about changes which haven't been formalised by BA yet, which will spell disaster for all of us, effectively forcing us out of the job. One of the changes that BA want to impose, is total flexibility of our working roster; this means that, for example, I'd turn up to operate a 3-day trip, only to be told that I'll be doing a 6 day trip (impossible to organise childcare, etc). We will have no life/work balance.

Another change is the recruitment of gap-year students, whi will be doing our job for peanuts. They will be given the flights that generate god pay for us, while we'll be left with the flights that pay us very little. This means that our wages will go down by 30 to 40%. Believe me, that's well below the poverty line. We'll also be doing more flights each month (for less money), making it very hard for those of us with a family.

We have come to the decision to strike as a last resort. We know that it will inconvenience so many customers, but it's the only weapon we have against our draconian management.

Any questions please fire away

We may take him along, as it's a very short ski trip, but that will put paid to any ideas of a romantic break!

Also,hoping the school will pull something out of the bag, but not looking forward to seeing a very disappointed boy in 10 mins time.

I've got no worries about dd2 as she is sensible, so far

Hi Onestop

get the point about the change to rostering and child care, but are you not concerned that all this strike action will undermine BA even further and bring about the collpase of all your jobs?

Thank you Onestonetogo, really good to hear the workers' point of view

onestonetogo;

I support your strike action...( I'm probably in a minority on MN)...

What all the whingers on here (and in RL) forget is that union action got them their 4 weeks paid holiday, their sick pay, their redundancy money.....list is endless isn't it..

Good luck...

I'm about to book some flights for July. BA and Virgin operate identical routes, identical cost. Guess which airline will get my business. The one which may well choose to strike and prevent me from flying? Er... I don't think so.

by letting BA carry out their plans, we'll have no job worth having anyway. By striking, we hope that our managers will agree to negotiate with our unions. We've offered to cut out wages by 3,5% (BA said "fuck you"), we didn't flinch when BA raised our retirement age to 65 (!!!), took away our language payment, our phone allowance, our uniform dry-cleaning allowance, etc. But now they're taking the piss. There will be no promotion, ever, for people like me who joined the company just over 12 years ago, and was told then about the fantastic promotion opportunities.

Just out of curiosity, do you know what our wages are?

i thought Ba was in terrible financial trouble and likely to make a loss this year?

so many workers in so many industries have been asked to take pay cuts and work harder for less money to save the business they're working for....isn't this sort of the same?

i don't see what good will come of this.

i would estimate around £16000 to £18000 p.a without allowances

Thanks daftpunk. Indeed, the unions are the last beacon of hope for workers. Without them we'd all be slaves. FACT!

Clam, your choice of course . The last BA cabin crew strike was 13 years ago, so I don't think that makes us strike-happy people.

YABU

IMO one of the only reasons we have such good pay and working conditions in this country (statutory maternity pay, maternity leave entitlements, child is sick leave, paternity leave, minimum wage, EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN - look to the Dagenham industrial action - I could go on...)

is that in the past, people have supported one another when there is a greivance. Look to the USA and how they have far fewer entitlements (I am not stating which system is right, I know I prefere to have the mat leave entitlement that is available in the UK)

Over the next 10 - 20 years, a lot of people are going to be facing problems with changes in their employment and pay conditions and I, for one, hope that if I need to take industrial action because I am facing up to a 40% pay cut, then people will be a LOT more supportive than we have been of both BA staff and the Posties.

These are the kind of changes that could leave people homeless and unable to pay their mortgages. FGS it's a holiday, which could be life changing but is unlikely to be, BUT the BA staff are facing tough times, with no apparent consultation process.

I wish the BA staff luck and give them my support - yes industrial action is VERY inconvenient, but is usually a last resort - why would the staff want to lose pay? You don't get paid for striking...

YABU

IMO one of the only reasons we have such good pay and working conditions in this country (statutory maternity pay, maternity leave entitlements, child is sick leave, paternity leave, minimum wage, EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN - look to the Dagenham industrial action - I could go on...)

is that in the past, people have supported one another when there is a greivance. Look to the USA and how they have far fewer entitlements (I am not stating which system is right, I know I prefere to have the mat leave entitlement that is available in the UK)

Over the next 10 - 20 years, a lot of people are going to be facing problems with changes in their employment and pay conditions and I, for one, hope that if I need to take industrial action because I am facing up to a 40% pay cut, then people will be a LOT more supportive than we have been of both BA staff and the Posties.

These are the kind of changes that could leave people homeless and unable to pay their mortgages. FGS it's a holiday, which could be life changing but is unlikely to be, BUT the BA staff are facing tough times, with no apparent consultation process.

I wish the BA staff luck and give them my support - yes industrial action is VERY inconvenient, but is usually a last resort - why would the staff want to lose pay? You don't get paid for striking...

There, I've posted it TWICE now ...

iwastooearlytobeayummymummy: that figure is for a full time junior crew member, INCLUDING allowances.On a good month (if you get a trip in the far east, for example), it can be £2,000. I'm part time, mine is half that (average £900 a month).

A Cabin Service Director (the crew member in charge of the flight) with 25 years in the company takes home £28,000 a year.

I never thought I'd say this, but... gulp...

I agree with daftpunk

(BTW daftpunk, could have done with you on the part time teacher thread )

And you bb9

Inconvenience is the point of strike action.

BB99

I know its a holiday FGS but surely that is what BA is all about, transporting people on holiday and for business

One stop
so you earn about the same as my co workers in adult social care.
Do you also wipe people's bottoms and feed them for a living?
I understand you have a safety role on the plane but what else do you actually do? and what differentiates you between and
no frills operator?