Anyone flying BA in the next few weeks, or months? BA planned strike Christmas 2009.

[MAN Flyer]

Because Crew have voted to strike:

British Airways cabin crew have voted in favour of a strike over job cuts and changes to staff contracts.

The strikes are set to begin on 22 December and run until 2 January, and are expected to cause significant disruption over the Christmas period.

Cabin crew voted overwhelmingly in favour of the strike action.

They follow a long dispute between the unions and BA, which is intent on cutting costs in order to survive a collapse in passenger numbers.

Announcing the outcome of the vote, Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Unite, said they took the decision to strike with "a heavy heart".

He stressed that the union was still keen to avoid the strikes though further negotiation with British Airways.

The British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association, a section of Unite, echoed those sentiments in a statement.

"We are deeply saddened to have reached the point where we must take industrial action to get our voices heard, but feel that we have been left with no other choice," it said.

"We do not want to cause inconvenience, so even at this late stage we offer an opportunity for disruption not to occur."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8411214.stm

[jjpb3]

OUCH for the passengers, and for the cabin crew.

[MAN Flyer]

They have apparently announced plans for a 12 day strike...

[jjpb3]

They have apparently announced plans for a 12 day strike...

Just the announcement will hurt bookings and make the point.

If the coincidence of 12 days with Christmas is cheeky wit, I'm sure affected customers aren't appreciating the humour.

[jhm]

I agree with others that an actual 12-day strike is not credible assuming the cabin crew union is rational in not wanting to kill BA as we know it.

Nevertheless, I'm glad I have a backup BD redemption for my BA longhaul on 26 Dec.

[jjpb3]

I agree with others that an actual 12-day strike is not credible assuming the cabin crew union is rational in not wanting to kill BA as we know it.

Theoretically, I think you're relying too much on subgame perfect equilibria for your solution set, jhm. If there's enough utility for 'fair allocation' on one set of players, the 'non-rational' (from the SPE POV) plays might be set into motion. I hope they're not, for BA's sake (and that of its customers and employees).

The effect of a strike on BA's finances will be substantial, but I'm not sure what the financial picture will be (in terms of whether BA is killed off) if a full strike is not the outcome; a 12-day action can be cut short.

I think the activity on BA phone lines as a result of this announcement, and BA's response, will be very revealing.

[SQflyergirl]

Over christmas no less........

Whilst I think unions have their place and time - this one's just taking the michael.

If they don't actually want to run BA into the ground, just what does BASSA/Unite think this will achieve here?

[KeithMEL]

They have apparently announced plans for a 12 day strike...

Just union posturing IMO, to apply more pressure on management to come to the table with something fair and reasonable. Negotiations appear to be ongoing, and I'd expect both parties to work hard to compromise and reach a consensus to avoid a strike. I'd only start really worrying if I read something like "talks have broken down" etc.

At least this isn't a wildcat strike like the baggage handler and catering fiasco a couple of years ago.

Nonetheless I agree that this action does massively inconvenience pax who are travelling over the holiday season. I'd agree both the withdrawal of labour and threatening to do so should be taken extremely seriously and used as a v last resort. And IME, I'm glad that the unions which adhere to this principle actually achieve more tangible outcomes for their members.

[Lobster]

I probably shouldn't write this now as I have just got back from our office christmas party a little bit worse for wear but what effing planet do these effing as**holes effing live on. I work for a company which has laid off 20% of its staff this year, those of us left have had to cover 20% more work and all of us have taken a pay freeze and honestly feel quite lucky that it is not a pay cut (and we are in much more financially sound position than BA). So I have zero sympathy for these cabin crew who have been asked to make minimal cuts where all other staff at BA who have seens whats going on in the world have made similar or in most cases even bigger cuts.

My christmas holiday is turning into a complete shambles. Although I am ok for my flight out as I am leaving on Friday my return is right in the middle of the strike and to add to my problems my credit card has expired and I had arranged to meet my parents in my transit in the UK to pick up my new one, but my Dad phoned me about 10 minutes after the announcement of the BA strike to inform me that he had been through my post and there was no new credit card. So it looks like if I do decided to proceed with my holiday, which I desperately need as I have taken on so much extra work due to the 20% cut in workforce I could find myself stuck in the US with no money.

I am not a happy camper at the moment.

[MAN Flyer]

Just union posturing IMO, to apply more pressure on management to come to the table with something fair and reasonable. Negotiations appear to be ongoing, and I'd expect both parties to work hard to compromise and reach a consensus to avoid a strike.

I don't think there are any negotiations going on at all!. The immediate declaration of a 12 day strike also seems to have stunned even some crew who voted to strike.

I won't pretend to know too much about the history and nitty gritty of all this - I wisely give BA the wide berth except for redeeming 241's - but from what I can gather from those that know, this union has been a PITA and living on cloud cuckoo land for years now, and they need to smash it or it's always going to be one. I have just read some of the numbers some of the senior BA crew are supposedly earning, and if true no wonder they don't want to give it up and no wonder BA want to reduce it.

[jjpb3]

My christmas holiday is turning into a complete shambles. Although I am ok for my flight out as I am leaving on Friday my return is right in the middle of the strike and to add to my problems my credit card has expired and I had arranged to meet my parents in my transit in the UK to pick up my new one, but my Dad phoned me about 10 minutes after the announcement of the BA strike to inform me that he had been through my post and there was no new credit card. So it looks like if I do decided to proceed with my holiday, which I desperately need as I have taken on so much extra work due to the 20% cut in workforce I could find myself stuck in the US with no money.

I am not a happy camper at the moment.

Ugh. Sorry about that, Lobster.

I don't know what else to say, as that's the kind of impact on customers this strike decision will have.

[lhrpete]

I'm not sympathetic to this but two of my neighbours and good friends are a captain and a CSD at BA. They are both totally fed up with working for a company which they say fails to communicate with the staff at any level and they often find things out in the media before they are officially told them. The company seems to be managed by rumour and fear so not a positive place to work anyway. Seemingly WW has only made that climate worse and no one has faith in him to deliver anything and the see the complete mess he left behind at EI so they really don't want to work with him. He doesn't need any operational advice as he used to be a pilot - at EI which is not in the same league as BA.

I've always thought that the mess WW left behind was dreadful and the present state of EI is in part testimony to this so now he has a bigger toy to play with and screw up. He was in the barbers shop a couple of weeks ago when I was and I did think he was an arrogant &*().

[KeithMEL]

I'm not sympathetic to this but two of my neighbours and good friends are a captain and a CSD at BA. They are both totally fed up with working for a company which they say fails to communicate with the staff at any level and they often find things out in the media before they are officially told them. The company seems to be managed by rumour and fear so not a positive place to work anyway.

The crew on my LHR-DOH were having this exact conversation 2 weeks ago, whilst we were on the ground at BAH. The feeling I got was that none of the crew felt any particular loyalty to their airline, due in part to some of the reasons you cited. A rather worrying sign for an airline that's in a heap of financial troubles.

Nonetheless I hope I was correct and that they don't actually go ahead with any industrial action, especially not a 12 day long strike - the consequences will be unimaginable for all parties involved.

[9V-JKL]

I am curious on why do we still need a union in this day and in a developed country as well.
I can understand the value of a union in a 3rd world country where abuse of the workforce can occur but in the UK?

[haf]

The investors don't seem to care much..the stock price has barely nudged. down .15% as I write this.