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Christmas flight chaos looms in BA staff revolt
Dick Murray and Jonathan Prynn02.11.09
The threat of massive disruption to British Airways flights in the week before Christmas came a step closer today.
More than 2,000 BA staff from all over the world gathered at Sandown racecourse in Surrey to push for a strike ballot, in what was dubbed a "revolt of middle England".
The employees, who came from as far as New York, Japan and Italy, were protesting at proposed pay cuts and changes to working conditions due to come into effect from the middle of this month.
They unanimously supported holding a strike ballot across 14,000 cabin crew. It will be organised by Unite, the union for most BA workers. The result will be declared in mid-December and staff are expected to back industrial action.
This would mean walkouts could take place any time from Monday 21 December, days after state schools break up for Christmas, and in one of the busiest weeks of the year for the carrier. BA already faces the biggest threat to its survival in its 90-year history. On Friday chief executive Willie Walsh is expected to announce a record loss of about £250 million for the first half of the financial year, despite cost-cutting.
Workers at today's meeting spoke of their "anger and frustration" at the imposition from 16 November of new employment contracts, on top of thousands of job cuts and a pay freeze. The contracts would apply to all new cabin crew and would provide reduced pay and allowances and tougher working conditions. The changes will also affect check-in and customer services staff.
One worker said: "We are not militant trade unionists looking for a confrontation. We are decent people from middle England, some would say middle-class, wanting to protect our living and look after our families." Another, at BA for 20 years, added: "We are all very proud of the jobs we do. This is now a battle for the heart and soul of BA's cabin crew."
So many people came to the meeting it had to be delayed by 45 minutes. Some arrived with toddlers in buggies. There was applause when the meeting opened to the song "Little Willy" by The Sweet - a jab at Mr Walsh, featuring the line "Little Willy, Willy won't go home".
Steve Turner, Unite's aviation chief, said: "People have flown from all over the world to attend and their support for industrial action will be unanimous." He said the union had submitted proposals to BA suggesting savings of £173 million, but these had been ignored.
He claimed BA's pledge that changes would not affect existing staff was "not true. Anyone applying for promotion or changing duties or location will be affected." A BA spokesman said: "BA is heading for a second successive year of losses for the first time in our history. Everyone in the company knows we must reduce our costs to move back towards profitability."
Reader views (5)
BA's management have led to them being fined £600million pounds this past year.
The staff oppose the cuts to front line staff as it will be the customers who have a reduced service level on the ground and in the air, (whilst the "fat cats" congratulate themselves and have another big bonus.)
As Derek of Esher commented, it is the crew that make the flights enjoyable..(and safe!!)..there will be less of them in future -many will be employed with no future job security, and so won't be loyal to BA or its customers. Yes current staff may be more costly than some other airlines, however, they are the best.
- Steve, London
We have all had to deal with pay freezes/reduced hours to keep our jobs, but we don't all go on strike.
Please remember that some of us have spent the last 18 months saving hard for a special holiday, flying out on 27th Dec. So you might get very little support from my fellow passengers.
- Fisher, UK
I would recommend starting at the top and working down with redundancies. Its the big executive salaries that need culling in UK industry not the employees at the bottom.
As for Alitalia as far as I'm aware the airline still operates or at least it did when I flew on one of their aircraft recently.
- Terence Harrington, Canterbury, UK
What will all you middle-English people do when BA goes bancrupt? You think you'll all get jobs at Ryanair? Did you not read the newspapers when Alitalia went through what you are attempting now? You know where those workers are now? Unemployed.
- Nore, London
As a loyal BA customer, I agree that (most of the time!) it is BA's staff who help make their flights enjoyable. What I would like to hear from some of the staff proposing to ruin people's Christmas is just what changes they would propose to stop BA losing over £1m each working day. I would fully support getting rid of the Chief Executive but that would be a minor dent to the problem.
- Derek, Esher, UK
