British Airways workers await strike dates

Submitted by Matthew on 9 February, 2011 - 2:29

An announcement on strike dates will have to be made by mid-February. New Fleet [Walsh's new scheme for restructuring terms and conditions] has started, although it numbers only in the hundreds of crew at the moment.

Their rosters are appalling and probably unsustainable for any length of time, as they do not give the crew sufficient rest between long and short haul flights. Their take home pay (for the Juniors) is around £800 per month; this is not a realistic salary for someone working at Heathrow, where renting a room is around £550 per month.

Even if rooms away from the area are cheaper, there is then the cost of transport to consider. When crew are expected both to report for work and get home after work outside the times when public transport is available, it is obvious that, long term, no-one will be able to have any sort of a life on this level of pay.

Suspensions for “bullying and harassment” continue relentlessly with non-strikers complaining about strikers for the slightest little thing. A lot of crew spend their “standby” duties in the coffee shops of T5 (instead of the crew reporting centre) rather than risk getting involved in any discussion that could lead to their suspension.

Another of the reps was recently dismissed. The charge against her was interfering in the relationship between BA and its employees. In other words, trying to represent crew who had been suspended. The atmosphere at work is atrocious and depressing, and how it will all end is anybody’s guess.

One thing is certain; if Walsh is successful in destroying the union then his tactics will be rolled out throughout this country and abroad. At a time when employers will be suffering a downturn in their profits due to the ongoing recession, they will surely be seeking to maintain their margins by getting all employees to work harder for less remuneration.

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