british airways strike

[yeo]

Surely no one is going to sympathise with them if they fuck up Christmas for everyone flying at that time. Good way of getting bad publicity and being greedy cunts although I can see they are more likely to get their own way if they strike over an important time of the year as BA will panic.

I sympathise with them,they have to work over Christmas so why should they care about other peoples holidays when their jobs/pay are on the line? you need to take action when its most effective.Off course I do feel sorry for the people effected as well.

[Barry Scott]

Exactly, it's a fucker for the holiday makers, but that's why they're doing it, to hit them where it hurts. My Dad used to work for BA and his wife is cabin crew, so she'll likely be striking i imagine. Having spoke with them about it last time, after the Open Skies contracts debacle, i've no doubt they'll talk of BA with the same contempt again. They treat their staff like shit.

[Talk Talk]

I'm sure that all of those hard done by employees will feel truly happy when BA goes tits up (as the government hasn't got fuck all money to bail them out ever again) and they all lose their jobs. Wanky ex-public sector mentality.

It will serve them right.

[jonny72]

They treat their staff like shit.

So why don't they just go and work for someone else? Its not like they're slaves or tied in on contract.

I just don't get the mentality of people that don't like their jobs, so they blackmail their employers by striking.

[Bogus Dave]

Its a bit fucking hard for them to get a job at the moment

[jonny72]

Its a bit fucking hard for them to get a job at the moment

Then shouldn't they be grateful they've got a job? Plenty of people out of work would be happy to take their place.

[Talk Talk]

Its a bit fucking hard for them to get a job at the moment

Well lookee at the airlines that are doing well, like EasyJet and Ryanair. I am sure they have vacancies as their routes are always expanding. I bet their staff costs are lower than BA and that's one of the reasons they are successful companies. Would BA cabin crew go to one of them? Nah - they love overmanning and overpay. Wankers.

BA is a dinosaur. Time to die.

[Barry Scott]

So why don't they just go and work for someone else? Its not like they're slaves or tied in on contract.

I just don't get the mentality of people that don't like their jobs, so they blackmail their employers by striking.

jonny, that's just a silly thing to say. The vast majority of people hate their jobs and working within that industry isn't like working in a call centre. You don't just walk out and get a similar job elsewhere. Also, have you even considered how hard it is to get a job with BA?

Thousands of applicants apply for positions in BA. Just because they get treated like shit, doesn't mean you quit your job to then try an get a job with a competing company (which barely even compares with BA) and fight with thousands of others for a tiny number of positions...

I'd also like to add, both my Dad and his Wife LOVED working for BA, but that doesn't mean BA are not complete cunts. When my Dad retired (after 21 years with BA) he was in essence shown the door and given a £200 gift voucher for something he got for free anyway.

[Talk Talk]

Compare BA to Virgin Atlantic. From Wikipedia:

Slogans

Over the years, Virgin has used many slogans, including:

    * "Mine's Bigger Than Yours"

Written on the back of the Airbus A340-600s because they are the longest passenger aircraft in the world[35] (but the title of the longest passenger aircraft will be claimed by the Boeing 747-8 when it officially enters passenger service in 2011).

    * "4 Engines 4 Longhaul"

Originally an Airbus slogan when newer versions of the A340 were built until Virgin inherited the slogan. The slogan was written on the engines of the planes, because all Virgin's planes at the time had four engines as opposed to BA's long haul twin-jet Boeing 777s and Boeing 767s. The slogan was removed in 2006 because it "had run its course and it was time to move on"—Virgin would later order Boeing 787 twin-jet aircraft in 2007, as well as the Airbus A330-300, another twinjet, in 2009.

    * "No Way BA/AA"

Used in the late 1990s on several 747-400s to express Branson's displeasure with the proposed British Airways/American Airlines partnership. BA/AA combined held 100% market share on several US-UK routes (e.g. Dallas-Fort Worth to London), and a market share of more than 50% in several more (e.g. Chicago to London, JFK to London). The slogan was brought back starting in September 2008 after merger talks between British Airways, Iberia Airlines and American Airlines began.[36]

    * "Still Red Hot For 25 Years"

25th anniversary slogan for 2009.

Others Include: "More experience than the name suggests," "Virgin, seeks travel companion(s)," "Love at first flight," "You never forget your first time," "Extra inches where it counts," "Fly a younger fleet," "One call does it all," "Hello gorgeous", "We're better by four" and, in a campaign featuring Austin Powers, "There's only one Virgin on this T-shirt (or bus, etc.) baby," and "Twice a day to London" in which Austin Powers is seen riding on the fuselage of a Virgin Atlantic 747. During that time G-VTOP was temporarily named "Austin Powered".

On that alone, BA don't deserve to still be in business.

BA = boring
Virgin = sex

If BA do go bust (hopefully), Virgin will clean up and fair play. Ever seen a strike at a Virgin company?

[Hammer]

I cannot really see this strike taking off, despite the re-emergence of flying pickets.

[Talk Talk]

I cannot really see this strike taking off, despite the re-emergence of flying pickets.

"Only You" at No.1 again, 26 years later?

[jonny72]

jonny, that's just a silly thing to say. The vast majority of people hate their jobs and working within that industry isn't like working in a call centre. You don't just walk out and get a similar job elsewhere. Also, have you even considered how hard it is to get a job with BA?

Thousands of applicants apply for positions in BA. Just because they get treated like shit, doesn't mean you quit your job to then try an get a job with a competing company (which barely even compares with BA) and fight with thousands of others for a tiny number of positions...

I'd also like to add, both my Dad and his Wife LOVED working for BA, but that doesn't mean BA are not complete cunts. When my Dad retired (after 21 years with BA) he was in essence shown the door and given a £200 gift voucher for something he got for free anyway.

That doesn't make sense. If it is so shit working at BA, why do so many people want to work there?, why is it so hard to get a job there (due to the competition for the jobs)? and why do people not want to leave their jobs?

The union tried to block the changes via the courts and failed, so now they turn to strike action to force the issue. Scheduling the strikes for christmas is just pathetic and shows the true motivation - to cause BA as much trouble as possible and force them in to complying with the union demands. Which in my book is blackmail.

But as I said before, the dumbest thing is that this is just going to cost BA even more money which means even more redundancies and even lower salaries in the future. Pretty bloody stupid if you ask me. The staff that keep their jobs will be ok and have better working conditions, but what about all of those that lose their jobs?

[Talk Talk]

"Only You" at No.1 again, 26 years later?

PS so apt - it was a Christmas No 1. 

[leefer]

Jonny this company had many good years...instead of looking after there staff  they chose not to.
Many companies are using the recession as a tool to beat the workers...its no coincidence that the companies who treated there workers well during the good years will get loyalty from the workers when tougher times arrive...

[Talk Talk]

That's a rubbish argument Leefer.

You go to work to earn your salary and any other benefits that you derive from it. That's it. There is no loyalty. The company you work for pays you your wages. That is the deal. It is the contract that you have made with them.

This isn't about 'beating the workers'. This is about:

BA's chief executive Willie Walsh has said changes at the airline, which analysts believe is losing 1.5 million pounds a day, are essential to help repair its precarious finances.

The company last month reported a first-half pretax loss of 292 million pounds, and is expected to report a loss of 601.2 million pounds for the full year, according to a Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S poll of 19 analysts.

BA is fucked. The poor hard done by employees can moan as much as they want but they are part of the problem. End of story.