British Airways ind. action over ?

[Saint in Paradise]

Does this mean that F.F. will be re-instated by B.A. ??

 

 

Can't send pm hence asking here.

 

 

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[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

I very much doubt it. Did see Duncan mentioned on the BBC article a few weeks ago.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Does this mean that F.F. will be re-instated by B.A. ??

 

 

Can't send pm hence asking here.

 

 

.

 

The answer to the question is No. I lost my industrial tribunal on a split vote (highly unusual apparently) and therefore after 35 years am now unemployed. The verdict took 3 months to be given which I have been told is most unusual if not "suspicious". But that is all behind me now and life goes on, I still have my health, a supportive family and I would do it all over again because I believed that what I was did was right. The deal we managed to get is a good one, an honourable one and shows what can be achieved if you stand up to a bully.

[bridge too far]

Good luck for the future FF and well done for standing up for your beliefs.

[EastleighSoulBoy]

The answer to the question is No. I lost my industrial tribunal on a split vote (highly unusual apparently) and therefore after 35 years am now unemployed. The verdict took 3 months to be given which I have been told is most unusual if not "suspicious". But that is all behind me now and life goes on, I still have my health, a supportive family and I would do it all over again because I believed that what I was did was right. The deal we managed to get is a good one, an honourable one and shows what can be achieved if you stand up to a bully.

 

Sad to hear this news Duncan but you can hold your head high with dignity and the knowledge that you stood up for what you believed to be right.

[dingbattigger]

It's very rare that someone will stand up for their beliefs, good on you FF and the very best of luck for the future.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Thanks you three , my faith in the forum is rekindled!

[solentstars]

The answer to the question is No. I lost my industrial tribunal on a split vote (highly unusual apparently) and therefore after 35 years am now unemployed. The verdict took 3 months to be given which I have been told is most unusual if not "suspicious". But that is all behind me now and life goes on, I still have my health, a supportive family and I would do it all over again because I believed that what I was did was right. The deal we managed to get is a good one, an honourable one and shows what can be achieved if you stand up to a bully.

sorry to hear that your unemployed now and i suspect the verdict was political and i agree you have to stand up to bullys unlike the current generation who are happy to be walked over and accept their lot in life.

[JackanorySFC]

sorry to hear that your unemployed now and i suspect the verdict was political and i agree you have to stand up to bullys unlike the current generation who are happy to be walked over and accept their lot in life.

 

The current generation (ie me) are grateful to gave a job let alone industry smashing levels of pay and gold plated pensions due to the baby boomers (ie you) enjoying levels this country and it's businesses cannot, repeat cannot afford! if you think we can then I'm shocked...

 

The simple test is, if BA put an ad in each national newspaper offering trolley dolly jobs at £18k a year (£4k more than my friend that works for Virgin, not including the unbelievable free flights packages BA staff got) there would be 000's of applicants, that's a fact and one You cannot deny.

 

The same goes for tube strikers and that nutter Criw, if Boris sacked all of them and offered driver jobs at £30k there would be queues from the tower of London to City Hall!

 

Nothing personal FF, I like your Posts but after the previous strike that affected a stag do to Vegas I was going on every member of the travelling party vowed never to use BA long haul again due to the uncertainty a militant union have when the package enjoyed by BA long haul was so so so much better than their competitors.

[View From The Top]

I see the militant pilots at Virgin are going on strike.

 

Never saw them as the type yet they had 93% yes on a 97% turnout.

[JackanorySFC]

I see the militant pilots at Virgin are going on strike.

 

Never saw them as the type yet they had 93% yes on a 97% turnout.

 

Their pay isn't 50% more on average compared to their competitors like the aging BA trolly dollies. Also you can't just walk in off the street and do that job unlike trolly dollies and tube drivers.

 

Have to say I'm surprised though after reading Branson's open letter on Monday.

[Lighthouse]

The difference being that Virgin Atlantic pilots aren't as absurdly overpaid as the BA cabin crew who were striking. Not saying I agree with it, but there motives are understandable.

[View From The Top]

I'm simple stating my surprise at the Virgin crew.

 

I thought the BA action insane and would have sacked the lot of them. Turkeys voting for Xmas IMHO.

[solentstars]

The current generation (ie me) are grateful to gave a job let alone industry smashing levels of pay and gold plated pensions due to the baby boomers (ie you) enjoying levels this country and it's businesses cannot, repeat cannot afford! if you think we can then I'm shocked...

 

The simple test is, if BA put an ad in each national newspaper offering trolley dolly jobs at £18k a year (£4k more than my friend that works for Virgin, not including the unbelievable free flights packages BA staff got) there would be 000's of applicants, that's a fact and one You cannot deny.

 

The same goes for tube strikers and that nutter Criw, if Boris sacked all of them and offered driver jobs at £30k there would be queues from the tower of London to City Hall!

 

Nothing personal FF, I like your Posts but after the previous strike that affected a stag do to Vegas I was going on every member of the travelling party vowed never to use BA long haul again due to the uncertainty a militant union have when the package enjoyed by BA long haul was so so so much better than their competitors.

 

Good glad your happy with having a job and giveing more tax breaks to the super rich and I enjoy my life having a good lifestyle and pension paid by the private sector by standing up for my rights with a very profitable company who always pleaded poverty so they could pay shareholders bigger dividend and I always paid for my holidays not other people

.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

The answer to the question is No. I lost my industrial tribunal on a split vote (highly unusual apparently) and therefore after 35 years am now unemployed. The verdict took 3 months to be given which I have been told is most unusual if not "suspicious". But that is all behind me now and life goes on, I still have my health, a supportive family and I would do it all over again because I believed that what I was did was right. The deal we managed to get is a good one, an honourable one and shows what can be achieved if you stand up to a bully.

 

Very sad for you. Whatever the personal view of the action you should not have lost your job over this. I look forward to a new book on Saints!

[Barney Trubble]

The current generation (ie me) are grateful to gave a job let alone industry smashing levels of pay and gold plated pensions due to the baby boomers (ie you) enjoying levels this country and it's businesses cannot, repeat cannot afford! if you think we can then I'm shocked...

 

The simple test is, if BA put an ad in each national newspaper offering trolley dolly jobs at £18k a year (£4k more than my friend that works for Virgin, not including the unbelievable free flights packages BA staff got) there would be 000's of applicants, that's a fact and one You cannot deny.

 

The same goes for tube strikers and that nutter Criw, if Boris sacked all of them and offered driver jobs at £30k there would be queues from the tower of London to City Hall!

 

Nothing personal FF, I like your Posts but after the previous strike that affected a stag do to Vegas I was going on every member of the travelling party vowed never to use BA long haul again due to the uncertainty a militant union have when the package enjoyed by BA long haul was so so so much better than their competitors.

 

It's all about me, me, me, me, me....forget the underlying principle shall we, as the strike had a small detriment on yourself.. Kids' would still be sweeping chimneys at twelve if it wasn't for people like FF and those who made a stand before him.

 

I'm sure there would be thousands of schoolkids wishing to sweep chimneys though, from Lands End to John O' Groats, therefore it must mean it's ok.

 

The modern day thinkers guide to strike action:

 

Will I be inconvenienced?

 

Yes= ****ing bunch of ******s, they should be grateful they have a job

No= I need, to look into this further, before forming an opinion.

 

Do I stand to gain or lose anything?

 

I will lose money/pension etc= Stand up and be counted, we're all in this together

It won't impact upon me at all= ****ing bunch of ******s, they should be grateful they have a job

 

Scenario: Employer breaks the terms and conditions of contract after many years of unbroken service, should I:

 

A) Accept it, after all, I'm lucky to be in a job. If I say anything, there will be queues of people prepared to do my job anyway. ****, I better not rock the boat.

B) Make a stand. If I had known twenty years ago, what I know now, I would have made alternative arrangements for my retirement.

 

You answered - A.

 

 

Just a bit of fun of course.

 

Best of luck FF, to paraphrase a famous person 'to have enemies, means that you've stood up for something in your life'

[Gemmel]

Barny,

 

I think everyone respects the fact that Duncan stood up for what he believed, even if their views on the actual strike are polar to his own.

 

But your response to Jackanorys thoughts on the strike are bizarre.

 

It was one of the most ridculous strikes in history, had very little or no public support and for what they got out of it, will do more harm than good to the unions, in the long run.

[solentstars]

It's all about me, me, me, me, me....forget the underlying principle shall we, as the strike had a small detriment on yourself.. Kids' would still be sweeping chimneys at twelve if it wasn't for people like FF and those who made a stand before him.

 

I'm sure there would be thousands of schoolkids wishing to sweep chimneys though, from Lands End to John O' Groats, therefore it must mean it's ok.

 

The modern day thinkers guide to strike action:

 

Will I be inconvenienced?

 

Yes= ****ing bunch of ******s, they should be grateful they have a job

No= I need, to look into this further, before forming an opinion.

 

Do I stand to gain or lose anything?

 

I will lose money/pension etc= Stand up and be counted, we're all in this together

It won't impact upon me at all= ****ing bunch of ******s, they should be grateful they have a job

 

Scenario: Employer breaks the terms and conditions of contract after many years of unbroken service, should I:

 

A) Accept it, after all, I'm lucky to be in a job. If I say anything, there will be queues of people prepared to do my job anyway. ****, I better not rock the boat.

B) Make a stand. If I had known twenty years ago, what I know now, I would have made alternative arrangements for my retirement.

 

You answered - A.

 

 

Just a bit of fun of course.

 

Best of luck FF, to paraphrase a famous person 'to have enemies, means that you've stood up for something in your life'

 

good post you summed it up perfectly ,i wonder if any of the current generation have any sort of backbone nowdays with their 1930,s type ideas.

[JackanorySFC]

Some genuinely bizarre responses. Do you honestly disagree that if Willy Walsh advertised for air stewardesses at half the pay they wouldn't easily fill every position? The answer is yes, sorry but Unite lost the plot on this and with it public sympathy. Genuinely shocked at anyone that agreed with their stance in the current environment?

 

As for the "me me me" point, yep - don't want to rely on others helping me thanks, happy enough to roll with the punches and go alone. That's another point though, with this example (BA) I had to consider wether my girlfriend and I could potentially miss out on future holidays (ones I've had to pay for unfortunately) then I will use other airlines which I have. Doubt I was the only one that took that stance, BA were 100% right.

[solentstars]

Some genuinely bizarre responses. Do you honestly disagree that if Willy Walsh advertised for air stewardesses at half the pay they wouldn't easily fill every position? The answer is yes, sorry but Unite lost the plot on this and with it public sympathy. Genuinely shocked at anyone that agreed with their stance in the current environment?

 

As for the "me me me" point, yep - don't want to rely on others helping me thanks, happy enough to roll with the punches and go alone. That's another point though, with this example (BA) I had to consider wether my girlfriend and I could potentially miss out on future holidays (ones I've had to pay for unfortunately) then I will use other airlines which I have. Doubt I was the only one that took that stance, BA were 100% right.

good for you and i can see your happy with your lot in life and hope it all works out for you and it confirms my views of the current generation.

[Lighthouse]

good for you and i can see your happy with your lot in life and hope it all works out for you and it confirms my views of the current generation.

 

There is a whole world of difference between standing up for your rights and what happened at BA with their cabin crew over the last 2 years. Their cabin crew on the old contract were obscenely overpaid for what they did and still went on strike it was pure greed. I know quite a few cabin crew and none of them agreed with the BA strikes. In fact many of them have now got jobs with BA on a worse (although still very good) deal. The term 'safety trained waitress' is a bit of a slander on their job, but in essence it was true. I basically did their job when I was 16 for minimum wage in a Little Chef. I fail to see why someone should get paid £50k a year because they can do that and open an airplane door. Barney, you're a bit of a hypocrit pointing out a "me me me" philosophy, then defending the cabin crew strikes.

[Wade Garrett]

I'm simple stating my surprise at the Virgin crew.

 

I thought the BA action insane and would have sacked the lot of them. Turkeys voting for Xmas IMHO.

 

You sound like a bit of a hard b*stard. Were you bullied at school.

 

Fair play to you Duncan. Have you still got that mugshot of Willie W*nker Walsh on your dartboard?

[Saint in Paradise]

I didn't expect quite such replies when I started this thread.

 

However I wish you all the best FF and I hope you find some suitable employment very soon.

 

.

[View From The Top]

You sound like a bit of a hard b*stard. Were you bullied at school.

 

Fair play to you Duncan. Have you still got that mugshot of Willie W*nker Walsh on your dartboard?

 

I'm left wing but their dispute was insane considering their colleagues at Gatwick were still working despite being on lesser deals.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

Knowing people on both sides of this (cabin crew, despatchers, a BA pilot and an internal manager), my opinion of the matter is that the strike was unjustified, and I know some of the staff felt that the recommendations on voting was reckless.

[Wade Garrett]

Knowing people on both sides of this (cabin crew, despatchers, a BA pilot and an internal manager), my opinion of the matter is that the strike was unjustified, and I know some of the staff felt that the recommendations on voting was reckless.

 

At the end of the day, the recommendations on voting are irrelevant. If you agree vote yes, otherwise vote no. The vast majority of those balloted voted yes.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

At the end of the day, the recommendations on voting are irrelevant. If you agree vote yes, otherwise vote no. The vast majority of those balloted voted yes.

 

You do put a certain amount of trust in the Union to point you in the right direction in regards to accepting an offer etc.

 

Either way, there were some rather 'unsavoury' activities that went hand in hand with the protests which meant that I had no sympathy in the end.

[Wade Garrett]

You do put a certain amount of trust in the Union to point you in the right direction in regards to accepting an offer etc.

 

Either way, there were some rather 'unsavoury' activities that went hand in hand with the protests which meant that I had no sympathy in the end.

 

It's a free vote, so you make up your own mind.

[dubai_phil]

Having had the "delight" of flying back home with BA today I have to say that I think FF is actually better off out of there.

 

Something like 10 years ago they seemedto care about customers and staff and made profits, and yet something went sour when they moved their local offices and went all Asian call centres and on-line only.

 

I still wait for a reply to my 16 polite complaint letters about them costing me 4 grand (which they always acknowledged but never responded to - even IF itw as to say I was wrong)

 

And today we spent an hour sitting on the tarmac with 280 people onboard a plane waiting for 3 passengers..... Who supposedly turned out to be BA Management who were going to a conference and had got stuck in traffic.

 

FF It may be hard now but in reality you have the chance of a lifetime - go find something that is FUN for a change

[Fitzhugh Fella]

The trouble is a lot of people made up their minds about the rights and wrongs of this dispute from the media most of whom are regularly "wined and dined" by Willie walsh and get free tickets.

I would like to bury the myth that BA crew are obscenely pverpaid. New contract crew (there are notmany old contract ones left) basic salary is around £15,000. On top of that there are allowances etc which takes pay into the lowe 20-23000. You try living in London or near London on that.

One day the truth will come out about this dispute and a lot of people will be eating their words. BA were being run by a bunch of thugs who employed thuggish tactics to intimidate the strikers. Over 17 got sacked and over 70 disciplined. I myself was arrested once at Heathrow Police Station, and then harassed by Thames Valley Police. My home was targeted by the Daily Mail on three occasions. I have had death threats, and mountains of abusive anonymous mail. I could go on and on - it was certainly not a ridiculous strike. We were not striking for money but basically for the right to stand up for ourselves. I am not political these days at all but this country and the large majority of the lower earning classes are being systematically ripped off and if they sit back and say oh well we are lucky to have a job, that philosophy will be their undoing.

 

Phil you are dead right re BA. The reason is that those who have managed BA over the last 10 years couldn't give a flying fig about the punter - it is all about greed and profit and that was one of things the crew were up in arms over as we (or they) do pride themselves on customer service, even after what they have been through.

[Joensuu]

Good post Duncan, and good luck with whatever you end up doing next.

[Verbal]

BA have long had 'form' with thuggery and underhand tactics, and are an industrial relations nightmare. Don't know how you managed to put up with it for so long, Duncan.

[Pancake]

...which takes pay into the lowe 20-23000.

 

Freudian, Duncan?

[Seaford Saint]

Hi Duncan, I would like to wish you all the best. Why would some one want to arrest you?

 

Ignore the dissenters on here. I do recall being like them years ago until I went back to college/uni etc. I always remember that people are the sum total of their experiences (and lack of ) as this often explains their views.

 

Phil is right, its easy for us to say it, but it is an opportunity for you.

[Lighthouse]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but were the strikes not due to a pay freeze at a time when BA was losing £300m a year? If that is the case, it's kind of stupid asking for a pay rise when your company is in the sh*t. As for living near London on £20-23k, cabin crew at all the other airlines seem to managed it, infact I know several who have just just joined BA from other airlines on this 'new contract.' None of them have had any complaints about it or any inclination to strike.