BA strike update day 21
8th June 2010
Day 21 - the strike has now cost BA £147
million.
So few BA flights are taking off from Heathrow today that a "mix
mode" is operating on the runways this morning. Heathrow is
usually so busy that planes can only take off on one runway and
land on the other. But as BA is operating a significantly reduced
schedule the airport can now allow dual landing which is very rare
at Heathrow and reflects that BA is not functioning as smoothly as
it claims.
Volunteers show contempt for passengers
With BA continuing to use volunteers to break the strike, there
are worrying reports of the contempt some volunteer pilots are
displaying towards BA passengers. Today's
Daily Mirror highlights some of the foul-mouthed comments
posted on the crewforum website.
Unite has repeatedly pressed BA to deal with the posters of such
comments in the same manner adopted with cabin crew for comments
made on Facebook. With 60 crew members suspended and eight
sacked for actions arguably of a far less serious nature, but with
no action taken by BA against pilot commentators, Unite believes it
is clear that BA is intent in discriminating against cabin
crew.
Service standards slashed during contingency
operation
Unite cabin crew members continue to report disturbing drops in
the standard of service offered to passengers. One flight,
the Singapore flight to London last Friday (a non-strike day) had
no first class food on-board. Usually, first class passengers
would be offered hotel-standard food from an a la carte menu.
Instead, for the 12-hour flight they were provided with the same
small meal given to economy class passengers. They were also
given only plastic glasses and standard class wines and spirits.
According to BA.com a one way, first class ticket to Heathrow from
Singapore costs £6,152.
Brutish Airways punishing sick crew
BA also continues to pursue a brutish management style.
Unite understands that cabin crew who are sick on dates during or
close to industrial action are not having their sick notes accepted
by BA. Crew are told to go back to their GPs and get them to write
into BA to justify their clinical judgement with BA health services
and crew managers.
Prior to any investigation salary is deducted and staff travel
is removed. It is then up to the crew member to fight this.
Two crew members who were genuinely sick, report that more than 50
per cent of their salary was taken immediately by BA and they had
their staff travel withdrawn.
Police investigation into theft of wages
Crew have also had cause to get the police to intervene where
pay has been deducted by the company but without any
explanation. No formula for the deductions or advance warning
was given. Some crew had so much deducted they could not pay their
mortgage. When trying to phone managers and pay office to find out
the formula and why so much had been taken, no answers were given.
With no one in BA providing answers, a crew member phoned the
police in frustration and reported it as theft. An internal fraud
and theft investigation was prompted by the police, which led to
the money being refunded.
BA's war against workforce now costs £147
million - and could cost £1.4 billion as Willie Walsh says he will
"hold out"
Despite the tough talk yesterday from the BA CEO, Unite
reiterates that the present strike dates would have been called off
had BA reinstated staff travel without vindictive penalties,
allowing negotiation without clouding the detail. Now
commuters, specifically recruited by BA from Spain, France, Italy
and beyond, are having to catch trains, ferries and pay full fare
on BA and other airlines to get to work. Considerable hotel costs
are also being incurred. Commuters also come to work at Heathrow
from as far flung paces as Philadelphia, Los Angeles and even
Delhi. Many have gone on strike in despair at how standards
are being driven down at BA.
BA has now spent £147 million directly and risks losing a
further £1.4 billion (Manchester Business School's estimate of lost
future business due to reputational damage) because this dispute
has no end in sight - and all to punish these workers and their
colleagues for taking industrial action to defend their jobs.
ENDS
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