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?

looks like the strike is going ahead now...will be interesting to see what happens next.

I won't fly ba again. I think the cc are deluded. YANBU.

It is really sad that after all the passion exhibited here by BA staff intent on carrying on with the strike they don't accept that public opinion, or at least the majority of MN opinion is against their action.

I have no doubt that Onestone et al believe in delivering excellent customer service whilst at work, but sad to say it is probable that they will be hoping to transfer these skills any day soon.

Iwastooearlytobeaymmymum- some of the BA staff about 10-1 against strikers are committed to ensuring you get some sort of service.
I hope you and your DC get away, and I really hope for her sake OSTG doesn't strike but rather wakes up to the deceit of her unions who have their own agendas.

Must admit to my opinion being slightly skewed due to getting up at 4.30 am to get ds off to LHR on a school trip because his original flight (at a sensible hour) has been cancelled. I'm grateful to the other BA staff that the trip is able to go ahead at all, though.

it's not only BA striking though, another part of the transport industry will soon be striking, and there will be disruption around Easter time...I have known this for months though - it was just a matter of it becoming official in the media.

Who's that then lovechoc?

The trains will be striking as well, probably over Easter, it's been ages since they threatened to strike.

Best poster I saw today: "I like willie, but not walsh's!!!"

Hasta la victoria

but onestonetogo it appears the strike has not exactly worked has it? Have you lost your travel perks???

Best info I heard today was that of 33 Union reps due to report today, 31 reported in sick! That is disgraceful and disgusting. Fortunately many of them were well enough to be caught on camera by SKY NEWS

Judging by today's turnout it looks like the queue for staff travel wont be as short as I thought after all

Silver, stop it please, your "informers" are taking the piss!

OSTG Time will tell. Time will tell, have you been searching the job section for an equally well paid, perky PT job?

Onestonetogo I am interested as to whether you have lost your travel allowances by striking?

Can you please advise - also do you think the strike has worked - most of the media coverage has been in BA's favour??

That sums up the mentality of the strikers OSTG and such frivolity during a divisive and ridiculous strike is misplaced to say the least. Silver1 is not misinformed either and the reps with the CSD course went ahem "sick" too. The whole debacle is disgraceful and the strikers should be ashamed.

carry on striking IMHO - best thing to do atm. why should BA get away with it. what a disgrace.

You see OSTG unlike your reps, BA management have a legal duty as part of their FTSE 100 obligations to ensure only the truth enters the public domain, your union have no such obligations, and it seems from the drivel they spoon feed you, they have no desire to show any honesty about how things are.
I am sorry you went on strike, you actually come across as a nice person who has been sucked in by a nasty union.

Where my husband works everyone is working extra hours (unpaid) and taking pay cuts or going part-time just to keep the companys' head above water. (alot of this work is very tough manual labour in dirty unsanitary and sometimes potentially dangerous situations - sewers etc..)

I have read through this thread and have to say I can see absolutly NO justification to strike.

It comes across to me that the strikers have been living in a bubble, protected by the union being told that they are hard done by.

It also sounds like the unions only agenda is to bring BA to its knees.

You are a disgrace, when so many people are desperate for a job atm but you will look great in your uniforms at the dole office.

Silver1, our management have been lying through their teeth, and I speak as a witness!
My mate just texted me this: "I've had an update from x in scheduling: 30% of flights left, most of which empty, just cargo. The first flight, the Abu Dhabi left with 6 pilots and 2 iccs [international based crew], NO CREW. Between 12,30-14,00 only ten flights took off, 8 of which charter (should have been 50), 85 planes parked at Heathrow, 20 in Cardiff, 20 in Shannon cause Heathrow can't cope. Gatwick 30% failed to leave. Heathrow 70%. The press is BA bollocks".

Off to bake a cake for son's birthday tomorrow, then on Monday more picket lines for me.

Oh and if you get a chance, listen to BBC radio 4, they're gong to broadcast a whole documentary on the strike, should be interesting.

Pinkfizzle, technically I don't think I've lost my travel concessions as I'm not due to operate a flight, so BA won't know if I'm supporting the strike or not. But you never know, they might find a way to remove the concessions. I care more about my job than of discounted flights on stand-by, they can stick those up their corporate arses.

oh ok I understand so you are not at the same risk as others? Wow, I figure you must be in an ok financial position not to worry about your travel concessions.

IMO Unite have come across incredibly badly and I still do not understand any valid reason for a strike - but I will be sure to listen to Radio 4 - I love Radio 4.

I hope your son has a very happy birthday.

Thank you to the cabin crew who have explained their side of the strike.
Are you sure you wont get into trouble with your bosses for this thread?

The venom on this thread is depressing.

OSTG-The contingency plan recognised the need to move empty aircraft to free space for the wet lease crafts
1230-430 18/40 flights took off, what they were projecting.
Cardiff can only fit five aircraft, and they are decommissioned and maintenance aircraft, no aircraft were left at Shannon. DH would know he parks them!
Your third hand piece of news seems a little inaccurate.

Gatwick had better attendance today than normal. That is according to the pilots.

As for the rest well go back and reread MunchkinsMumof2 your union reps will be off wriggling out of losing anything by dragging you all out on strike.

MABS - very sorry, of course I was referring to Bakersman's assumptions...

As for some of the info a few pages earlier from OSTG - a CSD's only on £28k a year... a junior CC will take home £1600-£2000 a month (£1800 average?)....

Well when I was last at school, £1800 a month is £21600pa - are you really saying a CSD with 20 years service behind them is only earning £6400 a year more than someone who's just joined the company? Rubbish!
(And if you really mean £1600-£2000 TAKE HOME, i.e. after tax, for a junior CC then you've just highlighted to the world that CC really do earn about £29k a year gross - which is of course obscene for a job requiring no formal qualifications... Which in turn implies you mean the CSD TAKES HOME £29k a year, i.e. gross pay of at least £40k a year).

And as for Unite only ever telling the truth - ha! Like Len McClusky you mean! "Families can book their Easter holidays in confidence. We won't be affecting the Easter period", was his statement a month ago. Families mean 'children', children mean SCHOOL holidays. So having promised FAMILIES (he didn't just say 'customers' or 'travellers' or 'the public') to go ahead and book in confidence, the second bout of strikes is the 27th Mar. Well just about all Scottish schools break-up on the 26th for Easter as do some English schools... My sister raises this point with some of her CC colleagues and at first they reply "well we haven't targeted the Easter school holidays, the schools round here don't break up until 1st April..." The above is then explained to get a reply of "Oh do they, I didn't know any schools broke up as early as the 26th..." - yeah, don't bother having an independent thought or research it for yourself, just believe every lie BASSA/Unite tell you !

But the good news is it looks like today was an awful turn-out for the strikers - assuming a near 0% turn-out of strikers at Gatwick and less than 50% at Heathrow is deemed to be pretty poor (no doubt Unite will lie and spin this to cling on to the hope that when it comes to future elections, they'll still keep their own Union jobs - which is all Tony Woodley et al are really worried about !).

My dad was a miner and despite being quite young at the time, I well recall the misguided thrall in which Arthur Scargill was held by the striking miners in the strike of 1984. Seems like nothing has changed - UNITE members moan about the salaries earned by BA managers but the Union leaders with their high salaries can do no wrong and say nothing wrong. My dad was a staunch union man but he thinks UNITE are barking and the striking BA cc just as crazy. Funnily enough my dad did not have a job for long after that strike either...

Glad to see that BA are reinstating more flights tomorrow due to a good turn out by cabin crew.