Seaford Saint

Dell days I am not defending the workforce. I suspect the £56K is complete and utter tosh. Again what management worth their salt would not have sorted this?

Stu, I work for Vodafone, believe me I know about job cuts and outsourcing and offshoring. I don't agree with the strike however, why dont BA just settle and try to build better relations with its workforce? They (the 2 sides) had agreed so much already. The flying perks is really incidental financially, you only get them if a deat is empty, if a paying passenger wants the seat then tough. Once again I don't agree with the strike but if the law of the land says that strikes are legal, why should anyone be punished with a loss of any conditions or perks etc for striking? If unions acted above the law then fair enough impoe penalties. BA's management will also be out of work too if the firm goes under and then who would employ Willie Walsh again? £56K came from the Telegraph.... do all staff get this, do any? I have my doubts. I would have to ask what the hell management had been doing for the last few years to allow this to be the case. Wouldn't you? How much are the management paid?

The first in a series of five-day strikes by British Airways cabin crew is to go ahead tomorrow despite last-ditch attempts by the union to reach a resolution. Tony Woodley, the joint leader of the Unite union, said the two sides had made "fantastic progress" during talks at the conciliation service Acas on Saturday, but he is believed to be furious after protesters from the Socialist Workers' party invaded the meeting, halting proceedings and prompting the police to be called. Q. Why are they striking? A. The size of the ballot – 92 per cent in favour, with an 80 per cent turnout – suggests unhappiness runs deep among BA cabin staff. The crew argue the company's cost cutting is jeopardising the one thing that used to make the company stand out: customer service. BA last month reduced the number of crew on a long-haul flight from 15 to 14, by forcing the cabin service directors – the most senior crew – to no longer just oversee the staff, but to start serving meals and drinks as well. BA argues the average take-home pay of a CSD on a long-haul flight is £56,325, making them some of the best paid staff in the industry and that it has a crippling pension deficit and a global recession to contend with. Something needs to give. The company has also frozen pay and it wants all new recruits to accept less favourable contracts than existing staff. This will, Unite the union argues, create an "apartheid" among the staff.

Because BA have a war chest of a couple of billion or thereabouts, that's why

err not is is not.......

Once again, I don't agree with the strike, but the management should settle. Why aren't they? It is not the unions who are causing this but BA themselves. I am surprised you can't see this.

So why dont BA just settle? They have agreed substantially. Walsh is costing millions of shareholders dosh.

This is the same FF who was ordered by a judge to work on the union database? The union database was not accurate and I think this was the reason the strike was not deemed legal. Surely BA would have wanted and welcomed FF doing this on behalf of the judge? If not, why not? I dont agree with the strike either but I went to a Tony Benn (before you say anything, I don't agree with everything he says either!) evening and he made the point several times that each generation has to fight for the rights gained by previous generations. It seems strange to me that the law lords deemed this strike illegal over 10 spoilt ballot papers. Give the workers back their travel perks get everyone back to work and together the workforce and the management should then sit down and plan additional cost savings.

You can retire at 55 and draw a pension. Before April you could do the same at age 50. You take a hit for doing it each year before normal retirement age you lose a proportion of the pension I only know this because Vodafone stopped their final salary scheme a few months ago and I got offered and took the pension, got a lumps sum and a pension whilst at the same time continuing to work for them just like before - I am quids in sitting here with my £500 headphones, my present to myself.

I read that US debt is at around 90% of GDP. The CIA wont publicise that. Furthermore, the US don't appear to be able to stop this increasing

I have been going off and on for 45 years. I take my son and we have a great day out.... I didn't go for a good few years, call out, shift work, working away, university got in the way. My son and I have great memories

Great player who has run out of legs.....

And there was me wondering about whether I should be planting out my runner beans

****

Thomas goal, a perfect strike

Should have been Hodgson

Caramac, Lion bar or Flake....

Ask man city, arsenal liverpool Newcastle etc etc past and present managers.....arguably bigger clubs than spurs. Redknapp divides opinion on this website. I was sorry he left the club, others couldn't stand him and were glad he left. There's no denying his track record....ours is the blemish on his record book.

What's wrong with my caravan? You window cleaner you!

Harry clearly has talent, he initially saved Pompey, rejuvenated them etc. He has transformed Spurs this season. Could he successfully manage a bigger club than Spurs? I would say yes.

My dad was a believer in unions and I watched these unions damage firms (shipyards dockers the mining industry etc) and I have had a dislike for unions for all of my life. However the 2 sides need to talk etc so I think unions are necessary, unions also do a lot good work. I think this dismissal should be seen in the context of a potental merger and subsequent job losses arising. BA are removing potential trouble makers. The strike for me was always short term pain for long term gain, it was a well executed plan. Lets see how many redundancies follow over the next year, when it happens (as opposed to if it happens) when will you say that enough is enough. What would your stance be if BA made their entire staff redundant and replaced them for example, with Indian staff on very much lower wages etc. Would that be good? Is there ever a case for employees to stand up against the companies they work for? Should we ever try to influence the march of capitalism? I mention this because at the company I work loads of jobs are being offshored (not mine I hasten to add)....so the question is this, when would enough be enough? My answer would be when I see the jobs tat should be available to my kids going lock stock and barrel to people in another country.

You sound bitter and twisted. Its not the fans fault they are as powerless as we are. They have a proportion of fans who cant think, or can't think for themselves. Just like we do. Blaming the fans for the debt would be the same as blaming the UK population for the banking crisis. Stupid!! Harry Redknapp is proving it at Spurs and any idiot can see that. I hate the prospect of Pompey surviving intact as much as the next man. How can they possibly be so much in debt?

Duncan, good luck to you. I know you have been shafted. You alluded to a union breaker being employed by BA. Sad days....how do workers and management talk without unions? I guess they don't!! One side the management will dictate to the workers who will just have to accept it or leave. Will I fly BA again? Not if I can help it

Great season, enjoyed it enormously after the initial period. What a great judge of a player Pardew is....shrewd free transfers and some players bought. The Huddersfield game was sublime. I bought 2 bottles of beer to celebrate. can't wait for next season

I think the football club manager is the most important person in any club. More important than the FD, the players, the fans, fan websites......answering only to the owner/shareholders Discuss