My own personal blog. UNISON NEC member for Housing Associations & Charities, HA Convenor, London Regional Council Officer & Chair of its Labour Link Committee.
Newham Cllr for West Ham Ward, Vice Chair of Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, Pension trustee, Housing & Safety Practitioner.
Centre left and proud member of Labour movement family. Strictly no trolls please.
Promoted by Luke Place on behalf of J.Gray, Newham Labour Group, St Luke’s Community Centre, E16 1HS.
We are concerned that the changes will affect some of our cabin crew particularly those of us who are earning 50K a year. It's also outrageous that management should have cancelled our free flight perk and the 90% cost reduction for immediate family members or two nominated friends. BA need to get into the 21st century. We expect that since Unite has donated so much to Labour that Brown gets off the fence and backs us up in this action.
Don't believe all you read in the Daily Hate. You need to get out more methinks.
From the Morning Star.
Thousands of British Airways cabin crew are about to be forced out on strike after hard-line airline bosses declared war on their union. More than 12,000 low-paid cabin crew will shut down 1,000 BA flights when they walking out at midnight at the start of a three-day strike to stop executives slashing the number of workers on the airline’s long-haul flights. Last-minute talks between Unite leader Tony Woodley and multimillionaire BA boss Willie Walsh at the TUC in London were torpedoed by the airline executive’s insistence on throwing offers by cabin crew to help the company save cash back in their faces.
“It is an absolute disgrace and an insult to our people that Walsh tabled a deal that reduced the amount of pay on offer,” Mr Woodley asserted. “This is a classic case of Walsh being a hawk and looking for a war with our members,” he declared. The first strike at BA since 1997 will continue until Monday night and is set to be followed by a further four-day walkout next weekend should bosses insist on refusing to negotiate over the job cuts.
Mr Walsh tried to claim that his workers, whose £11,000-a-year starting wages barely reach £20,000 even 10 years later, “have misjudged our times” and insisted that BA would still be able to operate flights using scab labour. But Mr Woodley hit back at the company’s arrogance to point out that cabin crew had voted by a massive 80 per cent on a 79 per cent turnout to strike after judges had used anti-union laws to outlaw their first industrial action ballot in December. “I am bitterly disappointed that 12,000 workers have been left in this mission impossible situation,” he said. “Our workers don’t want to strike and have even offered £62 million in savings to help the company, but it doesn’t want to listen because BA wants a battle. “These workers have been bullied and threatened throughout this dispute and now Walsh has forced the workers to walk out,” Mr Woodley declared.
Picket lines will be mounted over the weekend at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, while airline and ground crew workers around the world have pledged to support the strike. The union will hold a rally on Saturday at Bedfont Football Club which will be attended by striking cabin crew.
Show solidarity with British Airways cabin crew: 10.30am at Bedfont FC on Hatton Road, Bedfont, Middlesex. Nearest Tube: Hatton Cross".
Why should we supporting the BA or the unions?. Both the BA and the unions have been supporting the third runway at Heathrow. The unions are looking out for me me me. They don't give a toss about Climate Change or residents suffering over aircraft noise. Never mind the homes that have to be demolished.
The arguments at Heathrow and London City Airport over expansion, have been that aviation bring jobs, well if this is the case, then how come BA is making a loss?. How come BA has to subsidize the shareholders dividends, by cuting the wages of staff?
At Terminal 5, people will remember the fiasco over baggage handling, it is a hall done by automated systems. So where are all the baggaging jobs that they promised?. And BA wanted to move aircraft maintenance to Eastern European countries. So more highly skilled jobs going overseas.
We are told that London City Airport is a vital economy. Well if this is the case, then why has BA anounced flights to Ibiza and Majorca?. How is this vital to the economy of London?
5 comments:
I'm certainly with you on this one John!
We are concerned that the changes will affect some of our cabin crew particularly those of us who are earning 50K a year. It's also outrageous that management should have cancelled our free flight perk and the 90% cost reduction for immediate family members or two nominated friends. BA need to get into the 21st century. We expect that since Unite has donated so much to Labour that Brown gets off the fence and backs us up in this action.
Hi anon
Don't believe all you read in the Daily Hate. You need to get out more methinks.
From the Morning Star.
Thousands of British Airways cabin crew are about to be forced out on strike after hard-line airline bosses declared war on their union.
More than 12,000 low-paid cabin crew will shut down 1,000 BA flights when they walking out at midnight at the start of a three-day strike to stop executives slashing the number of workers on the airline’s long-haul flights.
Last-minute talks between Unite leader Tony Woodley and multimillionaire BA boss Willie Walsh at the TUC in London were torpedoed by the airline executive’s insistence on throwing offers by cabin crew to help the company save cash back in their faces.
“It is an absolute disgrace and an insult to our people that Walsh tabled a deal that reduced the amount of pay on offer,” Mr Woodley asserted.
“This is a classic case of Walsh being a hawk and looking for a war with our members,” he declared.
The first strike at BA since 1997 will continue until Monday night and is set to be followed by a further four-day walkout next weekend should bosses insist on refusing to negotiate over the job cuts.
Mr Walsh tried to claim that his workers, whose £11,000-a-year starting wages barely reach £20,000 even 10 years later, “have misjudged our times” and insisted that BA would still be able to operate flights using scab labour.
But Mr Woodley hit back at the company’s arrogance to point out that cabin crew had voted by a massive 80 per cent on a 79 per cent turnout to strike after judges had used anti-union laws to outlaw their first industrial action ballot in December.
“I am bitterly disappointed that 12,000 workers have been left in this mission impossible situation,” he said.
“Our workers don’t want to strike and have even offered £62 million in savings to help the company, but it doesn’t want to listen because BA wants a battle.
“These workers have been bullied and threatened throughout this dispute and now Walsh has forced the workers to walk out,” Mr Woodley declared.
Picket lines will be mounted over the weekend at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, while airline and ground crew workers around the world have pledged to support the strike.
The union will hold a rally on Saturday at Bedfont Football Club which will be attended by striking cabin crew.
Show solidarity with British Airways cabin crew: 10.30am at Bedfont FC on Hatton Road, Bedfont, Middlesex. Nearest Tube: Hatton Cross".
Why should we supporting the BA or the unions?. Both the BA and the unions have been supporting the third runway at Heathrow. The unions are looking out for me me me. They don't give a toss about Climate Change or residents suffering over aircraft noise. Never mind the homes that have to be demolished.
The arguments at Heathrow and London City Airport over expansion, have been that aviation bring jobs, well if this is the case, then how come BA is making a loss?. How come BA has to subsidize the shareholders dividends, by cuting the wages of staff?
At Terminal 5, people will remember the fiasco over baggage handling, it is a hall done by automated systems. So where are all the baggaging jobs that they promised?. And BA wanted to move aircraft maintenance to Eastern European countries. So more highly skilled jobs going overseas.
We are told that London City Airport is a vital economy. Well if this is the case, then why has BA anounced flights to Ibiza and Majorca?. How is this vital to the economy of London?
Hi airport anon
Make your mind up why don't you? Quite simple - are you against workers facing cuts in wages or not?
Obviously you are in favour so shame on you.
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