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?

MABS, one thing that is clear, is that this situation is not caused by 1 party, and it is therefore unfair to blame the strikers for the current uncertainty.

I have read the whole thread, and OneStop has been amazingly forbearing, in my opinion, in the face of a lot of insults.

I think we can all understand why people are not striking, it is somewhat harder to understand why they are striking.

OSTG This is not aimed at you as the person but unfortunatly you are the only BA CC who has come and given their pt of view it is an actual genuine question
What does being of duty have to do with it, if you are not working according to the union I am with you are on the picket line, [yes I understand on duty staff will def be penalised and thaat is not fair after all strike notice was served] surely all on the picket line will lose the 'perks' ie free flts [again bad choice of word but am only using it according to media reports]

The £10m BA makes out of it's staff concessions is a mere drop in the ocean compared to how much this strike is costing BA. £29m in lost ticket sales and £30m a day during the strike.

And don't forget that £401m loss last year.

The pic in the DM yeaterday of BA CC tuning up to a union meeting at Sandown Park won't get them any sypmpathy - they looked like WAGs on a shoppping trip

And some schools break up for Easter(albeit private) this Wednesday 24th!

Really? the airline has been precarious for a while now, and many staff have been trying to protect/help it, then just when it was looking a bit more optomistic and stable, the crew do this!! Very helpful..

For the record, OSTG made some extremely rude comments about RL friends of mine when i said they would not be striking and were nervous, so frankly I will say what i want, she is an anonymous poster on MN as far as i am concerned.

MABS, it was Silver1 who was a bit rude to me, not you.
I don't expect to speak for all of my colleagues, I've given you a very personal snapshot of life as a cc. I'm sure it'd be a bit different from an other cc's point of view- some crew never go out, others never meet up with the crew but go out alone, others look for casual sex locally (depends where you are), others might just go to the gym.
To me, it's a chance to have a sleep, read, maybe do my own pedicure (unless we're in India, where you can have a full body waxing for £8)and meet up with the other cc if I feel like it.
We don't go out with the pilots much these days, there's some tension between us, and if we go to a restaurant with them it's a slippery rope as they'd order a starter+main course+dessert+3 bottles o wine, and I'd order just a main course but we'll end up splitting the bill, with cc pissed off for having to pay more than their fair share (this is a classic, btw, happens so much!).

Yes, 15,000 cc can't all agree on one thing, everyone's entitled to their opinion and to change their minds. 80% have voted YES to the strike, that's a landslide in my book.

MABS, what did I say about your strike-breaking friends? That it's the wrong, misguided, cowardly thing to do? Again, that's my opinion, nothing personal! I'm sure they're decent people, but by going to work during a strike which has been decided for democratically, they're disrespecting the majority of their colleagues and just covering their arses. Imho!

OSTG - glad you said that, i didn't think i had been rude to you, but Nighbynight seemed to think i had ni'm afraid.

Have to say, 80% said yes, but they aren't following through, they are turning up to operate as normal it seems.

2old4this, why the attack on physical appearance? What do you mean by "WAGS on a shopping trip"? That we're common? Or, god forbid, with no class? Are you an aristocrat?
Trust me we are well groomed when on duty (tho after a long night-flight I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I see my grandmother!)

MABS my initial comment wasnt aimed at you particularly. I was thinking about some gratuitously nasty things said further down the thread, but not by you as it happens.

I agree with you OSTG, comments about appearance are totally irrelevant and unnecessary...(though i do wish i looked like a wag ;-) )

My friends are not the only ones some cc think are cowardly/disrespectful for working during a strike they did not vote for.

As i said earlier, very many of the 80% who voted for strike originally are actually working as normal. I consider that more hypocritical, cowardly and disrespectful actually!

Apologies if i misread that Nighbynight but your post at 18.08 looked like it was a reply to me as my name appeared at the beginning.

I meant that they didn't look destitute. It was all nice jeans, expensive boots and big handbags. Who said anything about class?

Thought WAG's were known for their prediliction for designer labels - somehow loking casual and expensive at the same time. Not insult intended. Was actually meant to be a compliment.

OSTG, you have complained about previous posters tarring all the CC with the same brush and then you go and slate a whole community, nearly 3,500 pilots by saying they are tight! Unbelievable, I have just read your post to my husband who says this doesn't happen on his trips and that the more likely scenario is that he buys cc drinks and they either don't thank or talk to him or offer him a drink in return!!

The whole thing is ridiculous. When striking cc have no jobs as the airline is a reduced business what would you actually have gained?? Do you really think the union is out to support you and has your best interests at heart- err NO.Unfortunately some people can't seem to see that.

CC hotel are more than OK - I can't see how you really can moan about them. How do I know. I've stayed in them too!!!

I said that as a typical scenario, not that all pilots are tight. I've had some pleasant chats with pilots over a drink or two (we take turns in buying rounds, as he will confirm). But I've stopped going out to dinner with them, as our "spending power" is very different and cos I want to avoid being in the position to have to pay too much for a main course or a salad. I can't spend £35 on dinner, for me it's extravagant, esp when I can buy a lovely soup and salad combo for $6. Most pilots understand that.

i hadn't read that bit Munchkins originally, well said!

I agree with Munchkinsmumof2 my DH does not spend £35 a meal when he is down route, and often buys CC drinks.

As for why I may have appeared rude to OSTG her comments about CC thinking passengers who clap are simpletons annoyed me. Sorry but it did, who cares if they clap, for some it may be their first trip by plane (doesn't make them stupid) for some it may be families with kids just having a bit of fun on holiday some may just be celebrating the fact that someone who flies like DH managed to bring them all down safely so why should the cabin crew think anything of the people who have paid a portion of their salary clapping? For the cabin crew it's their job, and other than ostg I haven't ever heard Gatwick cabin crew slate passengers for clapping.

I can see why the BA management withdrew the offer after strike dates were called (and yes that was within a day) the offer was conditional on the dates not being called. OSTG has had it explained to her differently and so she sees it differently.

Siver, maybe I'm just jealous that the pilots get a round of applause for doing their job and I never get it when serving passengers? .

I never said people who fly for the first time are stupid! In fact, I fuss over them and show them around (I used to take them to the flight-deck, but that can't be done post 9/11).

But applause on landing is, well, naff.

You're right we're all doing the same job, but Gatwick long haul is probably treated differently from the very top; they often don't have First class and have more economy, holiday-package passengers than the Heathrow premium passengers (these are the ones our management care about).
Very often Gatwick passengers clap their hands on landing (don't do it, the crew will think you're a simpleton), which never happens at Heathrow

Would just like to say that my parents flew from Gatwick, my dh and I fly from Gatwick when leaving to go on holiday - so short haul and no doubt have been on a flight where people have clapped. Think that calling passengers simpletons is slightly more insulting than being called a WAG - if only someone would call me a WAG

It seems obvious that there is very little support for this strike from anywhere whether that be the press, in conversation, on mumsnet etc etc. I do feel incredibly sorry for many cc but not about the reasons you are striking - lets face it cc on BA have had it quite nice over the past of that there can be no doubt - what I really feel sorry for you all about it UNITE, I don't think they are doing this for your benefit. Unions are notorious for being difficult and not really particularly helpful to their members benefit (which history has shown). I personally wonder what people at the Unions stand for, in years gone by it was to make sure that the workers were looked after in terrible working conditions. Well, life ain't like that any more, union leaders are totally hypocritical - don't see any of them suggesting that they do their jobs for free and they probably earn considerably more than several of us all put together for causing trouble.

Strikes never end well and I will watch with interest to see what happens, I feel sad that this is going to devastate an old british company as something is going to have to give due to the cost of this strike. It is just very sad.

I appreciate that not all of my comments can have been objective at times on this thread but I think like everyone who has been affected by it, I have reason to be pissed off for the cost to my parents and to many others, frankly stuff the business lot (who aren't really going to be affected over a weekend are they?) who can rearrange deadlines and meetings, think of those trying to get there to places for unreapetable occurances (weddings,funerals, school trips that have been saved up for) and that is where the true emotional turmoil occurs but because it doesn't affect the business community there won't be pressure from anywhere else on BA because those people just don't have the "clout" to do anything about it but vote with their feet. Damaging in the long run, but also not going to get cc much sympathy.

But applause on landing is most likely done by infrequent/first time passengers that's my point for whom flying is a novelty. It may seem naff to you but it's not harming anyone, and maybe they are applauding you who knows

Soory PP was to OSTG and I cross posted with Dooley.

Not sure I can see the sense in striking when the company that employs you is in real danger of going under because of your actions - and you'll all be out of work - and the other airlines will take advantage of the situation and your desperation and pay you even less than you're getting now.

typical meathead union mentality.

applause on landing is a tad odd and, dare I say it, a bit condescending. As if people are somehow glad the pilot managed to land the plain without killing everyone on board.

It's also naive to expect that anyone in a customer-facing role wouldn't have an opinion about the customers.

Having said that, I have little sympathy with the cabin crew who should really think themselves lucky that they have jobs at all, let alone overnight stays in some of the best hotels in the world.

OSTG regarding your comment about stationary businesses - the loss to uk businesses as a result of postal strike mainly hit smaller businesses, I believe the loss to the economy was estimated as 500 MILLION ....many larger businesses like Amazon (the post offices second largest customer) moved its business elsewhere. Remember these smaller businesses do not have the pr machines that Unite or BA have but are employers nonetheless.

I still can not understand why you are supporting the BA strike - to be able to work one month on, one month off is very rare.