British Airways cabin crews to strike (From Thisisdorset)

"BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

traindriver3ss wrote:
"BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

what an idiot you are. do you not understand that fool unions are destroying this country.
what part of recession don't you understand?
Do you believe it's a good idea for these strikes which will only bring BA to it's knees and force it into administration meaning NO JOBS is better than actually working for what is, when all's said and done a bloody cushy way of earning a crust.

Bournehammer68 wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote:
"BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

what an idiot you are. do you not understand that fool unions are destroying this country.
what part of recession don't you understand?
Do you believe it's a good idea for these strikes which will only bring BA to it's knees and force it into administration meaning NO JOBS is better than actually working for what is, when all's said and done a bloody cushy way of earning a crust.

The government is destroying this country not the unions.
If a company needs to make pay reductions to survive, if the government wants to impliment pay freezes, fair enough, but pay freezes and pay reductions dont come easy when everything else, fuel bills, council tax, food prices, taxes, national insurance to name a few are on the increase.

McVICAR wrote:

Bournehammer68 wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote: "BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

what an idiot you are. do you not understand that fool unions are destroying this country. what part of recession don't you understand? Do you believe it's a good idea for these strikes which will only bring BA to it's knees and force it into administration meaning NO JOBS is better than actually working for what is, when all's said and done a bloody cushy way of earning a crust.

The government is destroying this country not the unions. If a company needs to make pay reductions to survive, if the government wants to impliment pay freezes, fair enough, but pay freezes and pay reductions dont come easy when everything else, fuel bills, council tax, food prices, taxes, national insurance to name a few are on the increase.

right and what political party is the darling of the unions? oh that's right it's Labour!
you can't have it all ways.

This continued strike action will will bring down the airline, and it serves the cabin crew right if they find themselves without a job. Who I will feel sorry for is all the other employees that did not want this action, and who as a result this may also lose their jobs.

BA cabin crew are notorious for being overpaid compared to other airline. They cannot accept that an airline trying to survive is benchmarking the pay and benefits accordingly. If they don'y like it, go work for another airline.

Bournehammer68 wrote:

McVICAR wrote:

Bournehammer68 wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote: "BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

what an idiot you are. do you not understand that fool unions are destroying this country. what part of recession don't you understand? Do you believe it's a good idea for these strikes which will only bring BA to it's knees and force it into administration meaning NO JOBS is better than actually working for what is, when all's said and done a bloody cushy way of earning a crust.

The government is destroying this country not the unions. If a company needs to make pay reductions to survive, if the government wants to impliment pay freezes, fair enough, but pay freezes and pay reductions dont come easy when everything else, fuel bills, council tax, food prices, taxes, national insurance to name a few are on the increase.

right and what political party is the darling of the unions? oh that's right it's Labour!
you can't have it all ways.

Hammer your the idiot for believing the crap you read in the papers ( especially the daily mail) You are actually right strikes could well be the death of this company but it is the COMPANY MANAGEMENT who are hell bent on causing this strike not the union. It is the imbecile Walsh ( who led this company into multi million losses but is still paid in the millions) who lectures staff who actually work a **** site harder than he does on a tiny fraction of his salary that cause industrial action!! And you right it is the labour party that trade unions support not this neo conservative government we have at the moment!!!! They are better than the Tories but still not a labour government!!!!

BA deserve to be cut down to size, they stopped serving sausages for breakfast in business ! They have treated their customers with contempt for decades and they really do beleive that people will pay £300 for just sitting at the front of the plane as opposed to £40 on Ryanair for the same journey. I fell sorry for the staff but this overweight, pompous beast has had it coming for years.

traindriver3ss wrote:

Bournehammer68 wrote:

McVICAR wrote:

Bournehammer68 wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote: "BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

what an idiot you are. do you not understand that fool unions are destroying this country. what part of recession don't you understand? Do you believe it's a good idea for these strikes which will only bring BA to it's knees and force it into administration meaning NO JOBS is better than actually working for what is, when all's said and done a bloody cushy way of earning a crust.

The government is destroying this country not the unions. If a company needs to make pay reductions to survive, if the government wants to impliment pay freezes, fair enough, but pay freezes and pay reductions dont come easy when everything else, fuel bills, council tax, food prices, taxes, national insurance to name a few are on the increase.

right and what political party is the darling of the unions? oh that's right it's Labour! you can't have it all ways.

Hammer your the idiot for believing the crap you read in the papers ( especially the daily mail) You are actually right strikes could well be the death of this company but it is the COMPANY MANAGEMENT who are hell bent on causing this strike not the union. It is the imbecile Walsh ( who led this company into multi million losses but is still paid in the millions) who lectures staff who actually work a **** site harder than he does on a tiny fraction of his salary that cause industrial action!! And you right it is the labour party that trade unions support not this neo conservative government we have at the moment!!!! They are better than the Tories but still not a labour government!!!!

How can you say they're better than the Tories?
they have systematically destroyed the very fabric of our great nation.
made mediocrity desirable. made it impossible for many to get out of the benefits trap and rewarded those who can't be bothered.
Given away our gold reserves. our power to govern ourselves.
handed the criminal element a charter to do what they want under the human rights act.
lied and lied about education, detroyed the health service and police force (now police service).
entered us into an illegal war hoping for some cheap oil hoho.
what a joke they are.

Bournehammer68 wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote:

Bournehammer68 wrote:

McVICAR wrote:

Bournehammer68 wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote: "BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

what an idiot you are. do you not understand that fool unions are destroying this country. what part of recession don't you understand? Do you believe it's a good idea for these strikes which will only bring BA to it's knees and force it into administration meaning NO JOBS is better than actually working for what is, when all's said and done a bloody cushy way of earning a crust.

The government is destroying this country not the unions. If a company needs to make pay reductions to survive, if the government wants to impliment pay freezes, fair enough, but pay freezes and pay reductions dont come easy when everything else, fuel bills, council tax, food prices, taxes, national insurance to name a few are on the increase.

right and what political party is the darling of the unions? oh that's right it's Labour! you can't have it all ways.

Hammer your the idiot for believing the crap you read in the papers ( especially the daily mail) You are actually right strikes could well be the death of this company but it is the COMPANY MANAGEMENT who are hell bent on causing this strike not the union. It is the imbecile Walsh ( who led this company into multi million losses but is still paid in the millions) who lectures staff who actually work a **** site harder than he does on a tiny fraction of his salary that cause industrial action!! And you right it is the labour party that trade unions support not this neo conservative government we have at the moment!!!! They are better than the Tories but still not a labour government!!!!

How can you say they're better than the Tories?
they have systematically destroyed the very fabric of our great nation.
made mediocrity desirable. made it impossible for many to get out of the benefits trap and rewarded those who can't be bothered.
Given away our gold reserves. our power to govern ourselves.
handed the criminal element a charter to do what they want under the human rights act.
lied and lied about education, detroyed the health service and police force (now police service).
entered us into an illegal war hoping for some cheap oil hoho.
what a joke they are.

They were the first party to give working fathers the right to time off with a small amount of pay following the birth of their children, they extended maternity leave for women to 9 months ( soon to be 12 months), They were the party that introduced the minimum wage, they were the first party to bring in rules allowing staff to say NO i wont work more than 48 hours a week, They were the party that gave the bank of England independence to set interest rates ( meaning rates have stayed low ( not like the 15% interest rates of the Tories) All opposed by the Tory party !!! They SAVED the health service ( I had cause to use the health service under the Tories and had to wait 18 months to see the consultant) Similar situation under labour i was seen and operated on within 4 months!!! The illegal war you mention was of course supported by the Tories overwhelmingly, Yes they introduced the human rights act that has been abused by some barristers for criminals but gave us all a set of basic rights! Despite the worst recession for 60 years ( caused by greedy Tory bankers) they have managed keep unemployment under 3 million ( not the 4 million of the Tory Government). Far fewer people have lost their homes during this recession than under the Tories! Oh and finally if the Tories had been in power we would have been destroyed by now ( they wanted to let northern rock, hbos and the rest go under). no they are far from perfect but a damm site better than that rich serving, royal related, fox hunting, privilege serving Tory filth!!!!!!!!

This is a typical Union move to cause as much disruption as possible. Many of the BA Cabin Crew Association do not want to strike, and the rest of BA Staff will suffer along with the strikes. BA Cabin Crew receive more in pay than many if not all of the other flight crews, and with better benefits. This is a communist/labouristi
c union trying to bring down a company that is already suffering from the credit crisis. Many passengers who have already paid for flights and holidays will suffer losses, suffer disruptions and more. The unions and the strikers do not give one iota of care for their passengers, the very people who pay their wages. I think it is a great idea that Mr. Walsh and his staff have banded together to try in hope to maintain a good flight level, and not too much disruption on the planned seven day strikes. Again this is a good example of a Union who is suppose to help its members, but instead is hanging them.

BH10et wrote:
This is a typical Union move to cause as much disruption as possible. Many of the BA Cabin Crew Association do not want to strike, and the rest of BA Staff will suffer along with the strikes. BA Cabin Crew receive more in pay than many if not all of the other flight crews, and with better benefits. This is a communist/labouristi

c union trying to bring down a company that is already suffering from the credit crisis. Many passengers who have already paid for flights and holidays will suffer losses, suffer disruptions and more. The unions and the strikers do not give one iota of care for their passengers, the very people who pay their wages. I think it is a great idea that Mr. Walsh and his staff have banded together to try in hope to maintain a good flight level, and not too much disruption on the planned seven day strikes. Again this is a good example of a Union who is suppose to help its members, but instead is hanging them.

and here we have the non union jealousy view ( one group of people have better pay and conditions than another so they are bad people). If the majority of these people ( cabin crew) didn't want strike action one would assume they would vote against it? they didn't, no they voted massively in favour of it (TWICE). Perhaps if Mr Walsh tried to live on a cabin crew members salary for a year I and others would take him seriously but of course he doesn't and wont. I'll say it again strikes are almost always the fault of company management. Would you give up a day or mores pay for a petty reason because that's what strikers do!! No thought not!!! And your point about passengers I do have some sympathy with them but their grievance is with the company not the staff!! It is the company they have a contract with and the company that is obliged to provide the service not the union or its members!!!!

I will concede one major mistake though hammer and sadly its the same mistake made by every Labour government. That being underfunding or over committing of the armed forces!!!!!

It's about time BA cabin crew realised how overpaid they are before their union strikes them into oblivion

traindriver3ss are you known by a nickname that begins with t and ends in y if not you might know him but you sound like him i agree with most of your statements and have read the ragged trousered philanthrapists on more than one occasion and suggest some people should read it

well said Hammer. Sadly there's very few principled people like you in this country. Oh yes, they'll happily trot out their Richard Littlejohn rants but when it comes to not working saturdays, enjoying 4/6 weeks holidays and accepting holiday pay they discreetly go silent.



So take a bow Hammer. Your selfless devotion should be better recognised. Maybe the Echo could run a feature on you refusing to take advantage of any benefit won by collective action.



Perhaps an example of this noble action (posted on here) might help to spur us all on in these dark days.

get over yourselves you moaning bunch of unionists. If life is so bad, do something about it yourself and not use disruption to others as a means. The moaning that goes on about 'so and so earns this much' is a joke. OK, swap willie walsh with a member of cabin crew and see how they get on. It boils down to one one word: Jelousy.

Peggy Babcock wrote:
get over yourselves you moaning bunch of unionists. If life is so bad, do something about it yourself and not use disruption to others as a means. The moaning that goes on about 'so and so earns this much' is a joke. OK, swap willie walsh with a member of cabin crew and see how they get on. It boils down to one one word: Jelousy.

I think they are doing something about it!! Its just you don't like it! you could use the same "if you don't like it argument go somewhere else" argument with Walsh. If you don't like dealing with people who aren't afraid of you or your bullying go off to run another company where maybe they will let you!!!

They should be lucky they have a Job!!

traindriver3ss wrote:

BH10et wrote:
This is a typical Union move to cause as much disruption as possible. Many of the BA Cabin Crew Association do not want to strike, and the rest of BA Staff will suffer along with the strikes. BA Cabin Crew receive more in pay than many if not all of the other flight crews, and with better benefits. This is a communist/labouristi


c union trying to bring down a company that is already suffering from the credit crisis. Many passengers who have already paid for flights and holidays will suffer losses, suffer disruptions and more. The unions and the strikers do not give one iota of care for their passengers, the very people who pay their wages. I think it is a great idea that Mr. Walsh and his staff have banded together to try in hope to maintain a good flight level, and not too much disruption on the planned seven day strikes. Again this is a good example of a Union who is suppose to help its members, but instead is hanging them.

and here we have the non union jealousy view ( one group of people have better pay and conditions than another so they are bad people). If the majority of these people ( cabin crew) didn't want strike action one would assume they would vote against it? they didn't, no they voted massively in favour of it (TWICE). Perhaps if Mr Walsh tried to live on a cabin crew members salary for a year I and others would take him seriously but of course he doesn't and wont. I'll say it again strikes are almost always the fault of company management. Would you give up a day or mores pay for a petty reason because that's what strikers do!! No thought not!!! And your point about passengers I do have some sympathy with them but their grievance is with the company not the staff!! It is the company they have a contract with and the company that is obliged to provide the service not the union or its members!!!!

Typical communist approach and answer. I would normally assume by your name that you are part of the other union that causes disruption to travel, the RMT. Any way, your response is that of a unionist, and not looking at what the pending strikers already get in the way of salary and benefits compared to such companies as Ryanair, Easyjet, even Virgin. Well lets see how many CC strike, it will be nowhere near the % who voted for a strike, Why? Willie Walsh has said that anyone who strikes will have their staff travel taken away from them, for ever. Now given that most of the BASSA big wigs live abroad, LA, THEY MIGHT FIND IT A BIT DIFFICULT TO COMMUTE! The union has opposed a cut in the number of cabin crew working on long haul flights from Heathrow which is all BA wanted. So what did the union do?? They offered BA a 2.6% pay cut for all staff which would have saved BA 60 million, a bit short on the required figure. BUT this was to be payed back to staff in 3 years, mmm some saving! 10 out of the 11 committe members of BASSA are senior crew who cherry pick their routes in order to maximise their pay and benefits so if BA won and got rid of 1 CC they would have to do a bit of work!! Oh and if you call in sick on a strike day you will have deemed to be on strike and will loose your travel perks. BA will crush this pathectic union, they dont care about its members only themselves!

In addtion to the above. If the staff were not going against the company, then there would not be strikes, and the passengers would be happy, and could go where they have opted to use BA for. Therefore, logically, but again you being a unionist do not see it. It is the fault of the staff and their union that is causing the problem. One must remember, it is in the main flights from Heathrow that are the problem. Gatwick and London City come under a different system.

Bob49 wrote:
well said Hammer. Sadly there's very few principled people like you in this country. Oh yes, they'll happily trot out their Richard Littlejohn rants but when it comes to not working saturdays, enjoying 4/6 weeks holidays and accepting holiday pay they discreetly go silent. So take a bow Hammer. Your selfless devotion should be better recognised. Maybe the Echo could run a feature on you refusing to take advantage of any benefit won by collective action. Perhaps an example of this noble action (posted on here) might help to spur us all on in these dark days.

ah Bob, sarcasm, you've gotta love it.
You have me so wrong. I actually think that it's time that we as a people took the power back for ourselves and strongly believe in the right to protest.
I also believe however that the unions, a great and necessary idea when the guys from tolpuddle first started, have become as obscene and as bloated as the rest of our political system.
They are self serving swines who aren't bringing about this strike to benefit the workers but to justlfy thier own existance.

BH10et wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote:

BH10et wrote:
This is a typical Union move to cause as much disruption as possible. Many of the BA Cabin Crew Association do not want to strike, and the rest of BA Staff will suffer along with the strikes. BA Cabin Crew receive more in pay than many if not all of the other flight crews, and with better benefits. This is a communist/labouristi



c union trying to bring down a company that is already suffering from the credit crisis. Many passengers who have already paid for flights and holidays will suffer losses, suffer disruptions and more. The unions and the strikers do not give one iota of care for their passengers, the very people who pay their wages. I think it is a great idea that Mr. Walsh and his staff have banded together to try in hope to maintain a good flight level, and not too much disruption on the planned seven day strikes. Again this is a good example of a Union who is suppose to help its members, but instead is hanging them.

and here we have the non union jealousy view ( one group of people have better pay and conditions than another so they are bad people). If the majority of these people ( cabin crew) didn't want strike action one would assume they would vote against it? they didn't, no they voted massively in favour of it (TWICE). Perhaps if Mr Walsh tried to live on a cabin crew members salary for a year I and others would take him seriously but of course he doesn't and wont. I'll say it again strikes are almost always the fault of company management. Would you give up a day or mores pay for a petty reason because that's what strikers do!! No thought not!!! And your point about passengers I do have some sympathy with them but their grievance is with the company not the staff!! It is the company they have a contract with and the company that is obliged to provide the service not the union or its members!!!!

Typical communist approach and answer. I would normally assume by your name that you are part of the other union that causes disruption to travel, the RMT. Any way, your response is that of a unionist, and not looking at what the pending strikers already get in the way of salary and benefits compared to such companies as Ryanair, Easyjet, even Virgin. Well lets see how many CC strike, it will be nowhere near the % who voted for a strike, Why? Willie Walsh has said that anyone who strikes will have their staff travel taken away from them, for ever. Now given that most of the BASSA big wigs live abroad, LA, THEY MIGHT FIND IT A BIT DIFFICULT TO COMMUTE! The union has opposed a cut in the number of cabin crew working on long haul flights from Heathrow which is all BA wanted. So what did the union do?? They offered BA a 2.6% pay cut for all staff which would have saved BA 60 million, a bit short on the required figure. BUT this was to be payed back to staff in 3 years, mmm some saving! 10 out of the 11 committe members of BASSA are senior crew who cherry pick their routes in order to maximise their pay and benefits so if BA won and got rid of 1 CC they would have to do a bit of work!! Oh and if you call in sick on a strike day you will have deemed to be on strike and will loose your travel perks. BA will crush this pathectic union, they dont care about its members only themselves!

Ahh that's right because i disagree with you and stick up for working people against bullying management in a communist!!!!You clearly know as little about trade unionism as anything else. Very few train drivers ( myself included) are in RMT. The pay and conditions of people in other companies is irrelevant these people have a set of terms and conditions that the company is trying to welch on. This dispute ( as most industrial disputes) is about dishonest and dishonourable management! Now I haven't studied the contract of employment of these staff but I see your supporting the bully Walsh with his " if you go on strike I'll take your travel benefits away" I suspect that these benefits are a part of the contract of employment. But as we know Walsh doesn't want to honour agreements. So you support a bully threatening to Probably breach these peoples terms and conditions of employment just for exercising their legal right to withdraw their labour. What a nice person you are!! Did you steal the dinner money from smaller children at school as well????

BH10et wrote:
In addtion to the above. If the staff were not going against the company, then there would not be strikes, and the passengers would be happy, and could go where they have opted to use BA for. Therefore, logically, but again you being a unionist do not see it. It is the fault of the staff and their union that is causing the problem. One must remember, it is in the main flights from Heathrow that are the problem. Gatwick and London City come under a different system.

and if the company weren't going against the staff and dishonouring agreements then there wouldn't be a strike. we could go on like this all day!!!! I can see your Thatcherite argument i just don't agree with it and in law it is incorrect! These are opinions but the fact of the matter is as I previously stated a customers contract is with the company so it is the company that customers have a grievance with!!!

Traindriver, take a breath!
Open your other eye.
Get down off of your soapbox for a few minutes and smell the roses!
I dont know if you have ever seen the raving, ranting pictures of Der Furhrer but there is a similarity in what is going on here!
It doesn't matter what the dispute is about, there are always TWO sides to a dispute!
Everyone knows that the employees of BA are under worked and overpaid. That includes the bloke who cleans the toilets to the bloke with the big fat cigar stuck in his mouth!
The only people who are going to suffer in all of this are the fare paying public!
Guess which airline they WONT be using the next time that they fly???
Winners?
There aren't any, only the other airlines!
B.A.?
Should be re-named Lemming Airlines!

Laurie H Marsh wrote:
Traindriver, take a breath!
Open your other eye.
Get down off of your soapbox for a few minutes and smell the roses!
I dont know if you have ever seen the raving, ranting pictures of Der Furhrer but there is a similarity in what is going on here!
It doesn't matter what the dispute is about, there are always TWO sides to a dispute!
Everyone knows that the employees of BA are under worked and overpaid. That includes the bloke who cleans the toilets to the bloke with the big fat cigar stuck in his mouth!
The only people who are going to suffer in all of this are the fare paying public!
Guess which airline they WONT be using the next time that they fly???
Winners?
There aren't any, only the other airlines!
B.A.?
Should be re-named Lemming Airlines!

Laurie you are quite right there are always 2 sides to every story and as usual the side pushed most strongly in the press (including this paper) is that of the company, not the staff! I know I've been on the receiving end of it. To be fair to the Echo this piece is remarkably balanced! I'm sorry but the staff have a right to withdraw their labour. They will only do this when all possible avenues have been exhausted they lose money from striking and only a fool would do that for a non reason.

It is the company BA with whom the public have a contract and it will be BA who will breach that contract if they don't fly their customers around. Yet all anyone wants to do it attack the staff standing up for themselves!

And no we don't know they are under worked and overpaid. I have never been cabin crew so have no idea what their job entails, as someone who suffers the same accusations from idiots who have no idea what my job does and might entail I have even more sympathy for them when they get that kind of label stuck on them. Now if you have cabin crew experience I accept that you have a right to pass comment but if you don't you frankly have NO right to make a judgement on it!!!

traindriver3ss wrote:

Laurie H Marsh wrote: Traindriver, take a breath! Open your other eye. Get down off of your soapbox for a few minutes and smell the roses! I dont know if you have ever seen the raving, ranting pictures of Der Furhrer but there is a similarity in what is going on here! It doesn't matter what the dispute is about, there are always TWO sides to a dispute! Everyone knows that the employees of BA are under worked and overpaid. That includes the bloke who cleans the toilets to the bloke with the big fat cigar stuck in his mouth! The only people who are going to suffer in all of this are the fare paying public! Guess which airline they WONT be using the next time that they fly??? Winners? There aren't any, only the other airlines! B.A.? Should be re-named Lemming Airlines!

Laurie you are quite right there are always 2 sides to every story and as usual the side pushed most strongly in the press (including this paper) is that of the company, not the staff! I know I've been on the receiving end of it. To be fair to the Echo this piece is remarkably balanced! I'm sorry but the staff have a right to withdraw their labour. They will only do this when all possible avenues have been exhausted they lose money from striking and only a fool would do that for a non reason. It is the company BA with whom the public have a contract and it will be BA who will breach that contract if they don't fly their customers around. Yet all anyone wants to do it attack the staff standing up for themselves! And no we don't know they are under worked and overpaid. I have never been cabin crew so have no idea what their job entails, as someone who suffers the same accusations from idiots who have no idea what my job does and might entail I have even more sympathy for them when they get that kind of label stuck on them. Now if you have cabin crew experience I accept that you have a right to pass comment but if you don't you frankly have NO right to make a judgement on it!!!

How hypocrittical can you be?
Your veiw is to say the least slightly biased and to be brutally honest sounds like the manifesto from an ultra left winger.
As for having no experience as a cabin crew, you are dead right but I have flown in a lot of aeroplanes and visited a lot of airports and I managed to keep BOTH my eyes open whilst doing so!
You must (possibly) wonder why you are the only flag waver for the strikers.
Before you start in again about the jackbooted heel of the bosses on the poor workers necks ask yourself exactly how much profit BA has made over the past few years?
A company is only as good as the people that it employs AT BOTH ENDS of its workforce (there is that two sided argument again)!
I have been at both ends of industrial action and it is ALWAYS the hard noses that win out and cost the followers (usually the poor rank and file worker) a lot of money!

Laurie H Marsh wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote:

Laurie H Marsh wrote: Traindriver, take a breath! Open your other eye. Get down off of your soapbox for a few minutes and smell the roses! I dont know if you have ever seen the raving, ranting pictures of Der Furhrer but there is a similarity in what is going on here! It doesn't matter what the dispute is about, there are always TWO sides to a dispute! Everyone knows that the employees of BA are under worked and overpaid. That includes the bloke who cleans the toilets to the bloke with the big fat cigar stuck in his mouth! The only people who are going to suffer in all of this are the fare paying public! Guess which airline they WONT be using the next time that they fly??? Winners? There aren't any, only the other airlines! B.A.? Should be re-named Lemming Airlines!

Laurie you are quite right there are always 2 sides to every story and as usual the side pushed most strongly in the press (including this paper) is that of the company, not the staff! I know I've been on the receiving end of it. To be fair to the Echo this piece is remarkably balanced! I'm sorry but the staff have a right to withdraw their labour. They will only do this when all possible avenues have been exhausted they lose money from striking and only a fool would do that for a non reason. It is the company BA with whom the public have a contract and it will be BA who will breach that contract if they don't fly their customers around. Yet all anyone wants to do it attack the staff standing up for themselves! And no we don't know they are under worked and overpaid. I have never been cabin crew so have no idea what their job entails, as someone who suffers the same accusations from idiots who have no idea what my job does and might entail I have even more sympathy for them when they get that kind of label stuck on them. Now if you have cabin crew experience I accept that you have a right to pass comment but if you don't you frankly have NO right to make a judgement on it!!!

How hypocrittical can you be?
Your veiw is to say the least slightly biased and to be brutally honest sounds like the manifesto from an ultra left winger.
As for having no experience as a cabin crew, you are dead right but I have flown in a lot of aeroplanes and visited a lot of airports and I managed to keep BOTH my eyes open whilst doing so!
You must (possibly) wonder why you are the only flag waver for the strikers.
Before you start in again about the jackbooted heel of the bosses on the poor workers necks ask yourself exactly how much profit BA has made over the past few years?
A company is only as good as the people that it employs AT BOTH ENDS of its workforce (there is that two sided argument again)!
I have been at both ends of industrial action and it is ALWAYS the hard noses that win out and cost the followers (usually the poor rank and file worker) a lot of money!

your right they are indeed losing a lot of money so please explain to me how it is that Willy Wonka sorry Walsh's current salary is £750,000 PLUS bonuses??? Now i have no objection to successful people earning lots of money and that's always the excuse for over inflated salaries. So using the same logic clearly he should be at the job centre on JSA shouldn't he??? Not putting his jack boot into the workers much lower down the scale!!! And i may be the only one here speaking up for strikers but maybe that's because I'm the only one not constantly thinking ME ME ME ME ME! These people are going on strike for what they see as a valid reason. Its nobody's business but theirs and the company's and maybe the few passengers being inconvenienced by this but no you all trot out the right wing Thatcherite crap of strikers being bad people, and should be grateful they have a job, or they earn more than i do, they shouldn't inconvenience ME when they are simply standing up for what they believe in! You see the same old arguments being trotted out when ever anyone goes on strike!!!

You can only see one side of the argument!
There are ALWAYS two!
Oh, well if you feel you must tilt at windmills, charge on!
No one says that you have to be rational. I hope you have a more balanced view when driving your train!
Its called freedom of speech!
Good luck, no hard feelings (you are still wrong)!

Laurie i do see both sides of the argument! One side "the company" want to cut staff terms and conditions and i believe pay. This side of the argument is lead by a man on £750,000 PLUS bonuses pa ( he has taken this company form massive profits to huge losses and more than one legal enquiry with accusations of illegal behaviour). Recent history of this side of the argument is that some of there top brass were convicted if ILLEGAL price fixing and find massively. Indeed the amount of that fine was many times that , that they will save if they get their way in this dispute. So you could say that if they had behaved legally a couple of years ago they wouldn't need these cuts now.

The other side of the argument is a group of people that want their employer to honour contracts of employment. These staff seem to be on an average of about £30,000 pa ( not an insignificant salary i accept but still 4% of the leader of the other sides salary ( excluding bonuses)) And these people are vilified on this page and many others for daring to withdraw their labour despite having followed the legally prescribed process. And never is a valid argument really put forward, jealousy about how much they earn, comments about how hard they may or may not work all from people who from what I can see have no experience of the job!! Or just because some of these people know that they wouldn't have the balls to stand up to their employer if they tried the same trick maybe???

if the above makes me left wing, militant, unreasonable, a union nutter or any of the other things I've been accused of on here then so be it but I'm proud to stand up for and defend the Underdog!! Easy to back the big guy and be selfish about your holiday thought isn't it??!
No hard feelings lol ( but your wrong)!!

East is East..............!

No I am not!
See what it has got down to?
Time to move on!
Have a good life (that light that you see at the end of the tunnel is an express train)!

Bournehammer68 wrote:

traindriver3ss wrote: "BA has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the strikes, with up to 1,000 volunteer staff ready to work as cabin crew, including hundreds of pilots. The airline has also said it will hire 23 fully-crewed planes from charter companies to help run flights from Heathrow" I think you will find the correct word is SCAB'S not volunteer's

what an idiot you are. do you not understand that fool unions are destroying this country. what part of recession don't you understand? Do you believe it's a good idea for these strikes which will only bring BA to it's knees and force it into administration meaning NO JOBS is better than actually working for what is, when all's said and done a bloody cushy way of earning a crust.

What an idiot you ar that you cannot see this country is being ruined by greedy managers and bankers !!
You are living in the past,its almost impossible to go on strike in this contry.........you do not hear from the poor cabin crew as if they say anything they are being suspended and charged with bringing the company into disrepute.
We look back at the 70's a the mental unions but we will look back to today as selfish greed.
BA bad management has cost the company £500m in the last 2 years and NO managers were fired.
Whne Willy goes he will have bonuses worth millions wether the company survives his aggressive anti cabin crew initiatives.

BH10et wrote:
This is a typical Union move to cause as much disruption as possible. Many of the BA Cabin Crew Association do not want to strike, and the rest of BA Staff will suffer along with the strikes. BA Cabin Crew receive more in pay than many if not all of the other flight crews, and with better benefits. This is a communist/labouristi c union trying to bring down a company that is already suffering from the credit crisis. Many passengers who have already paid for flights and holidays will suffer losses, suffer disruptions and more. The unions and the strikers do not give one iota of care for their passengers, the very people who pay their wages. I think it is a great idea that Mr. Walsh and his staff have banded together to try in hope to maintain a good flight level, and not too much disruption on the planned seven day strikes. Again this is a good example of a Union who is suppose to help its members, but instead is hanging them.

What alot of you don't seem to see is that the crew have been pushed so far by the most aggressive mangement team put together (they were drafted in from the post office dispute)that the terms the commpany are looking to get are so bad that the job won't be worth doing. So yes they would rather bring the company they love and have worked for, for decades and Willie who is on a gap year there !to its knees. It was the cabin crew who have kept passengers coming back to BA ,You really have no idea whats gone on hopefully one day the facts will surface. The crew are not communist or lefties .they are fighting for a commpany that has been taken over by nutters !!

CoogarUK.com wrote:
It's about time BA cabin crew realised how overpaid they are before their union strikes them into oblivion

A basic salary for unsocial hours of £14000 is not overpaid.#Where do you get your facts ??
The Daily Mail ??

Laurie H Marsh wrote:
East is East..............! No I am not! See what it has got down to? Time to move on! Have a good life (that light that you see at the end of the tunnel is an express train)!

i think you lost the argument a few comments ago via Goodwin's Law... last resort.

Strike action worked wonders for the coal miners in the 80s - look where they are now.
-
What an idiotic comment, you're silly.