'Who do you support in the BA strike?' poll discussion

jessicar

There's the ludicrous 'Daily Mail' argument coming out again. Just because the majority of people have considered information gained from a variety of sources and don't agree with you, it must be the fault of the Daily Mail.

I hardly think that if DM readers were the influencing factor in this country that a lot of things that have happened in the last decade would have taken place.

Face it - the general public aren't backing this strike. Not, I think because of the media, but because in their daily lives they go to work and see exactly what's happening, they've seen the reality of the recession, and think that people who can't see that endangering their own company and their own jobs by striking in this economic climate need a reality check.

A lot of them work for employers who don't need to consult anybody when changing things, they don't have a union, and they've seen their pay frozen or cut, and people lose jobs - but accept it's the harsh reality of life in a recession.

Most people who have seen the job market out there, they feel lucky to have a job and don't see why BA Cabin Crew are risking theirs and then expecting public sympathy when they seem to be a lot better off than a lot of people.

Your company goes under - you lose your job - your fortunes are tied in together so making them lose more money when they're already making a loss and thinking that's going to help the situation, seems like strange logic to most people.

sulis_2

I am a senior longhaul crew member, over 30 years experience.

I strongly disagree with strike action. We cause distress to our customers, to other BA staff, to our own community.

I have always felt very grateful for my job. I joined BA after a very stressful job, and feel as BA crew we are well treated, well looked after, well paid. For the last 15 years, I have chosen to work part-time. I work a 50% contract; 75% and 33% opportunities also exist. Great opportunity.

Where I do feel let down is by our unions. The two barely speak to each other. Much of the information we receive is inarticulate, unintelligent, ranting. My many years of flying have shown me that most union reps are self-serving, with their own individual agendas. I feel much the same about the characters representing Unite - self-serving, own agendas, jockeying for position, not always well-informed.

To balance that, I have not always felt well served by some of our immediate management. If less time were spent politicking, more time and energy could be spent on addressing business issues and crew concerns.

These strikes are destructive and damaging. I hope we can be allowed to carry on working in our professional way.

MrShed

sindbad wrote: »

Judging by the contents of your posts you have absolutely no idea why BA is going through this industrial action,

You are dead right. Mainly because the union has completely and utterly failed to communicate to the public just why they are.

you are completely biased and I find it is quite difficult to discuss the issue with people like you.

Biased - no. Have an opinion - yes.

I thought i could bring some more info so that u could maybe stop for a second and maybe say to yourself " hold on I should really learn more about this issue as it seems to be more complex than what the Daily Mail wrote"
but I have realized for people like you there is little hope.

I refuse to read the DM actually, as it is completely full of scaremongering rubbish.

To be honest, to a large extent I completely agree - I havent learnt more about the issue. Because a) the detail of the issue hasnt been made available, and b) I am against striking full stop, regardless of the background - as I have stated time and again (which no-one yet seems to have a come back for) - if you dont like the job, leave.

But they are other people on this forum who might tell themselves that "maybe the Cabin Crew are not completely in the wrong, and i should find out more before I give an opinion"
Well I hope I got through to those intelligent and fair minded people

Please do not assume that because someones opinion disagrees with your own that they are "unintelligent and not fair minded".



Now...as supporters keep going on about the detail etc, will someone PLEASE tell us what, exactly, the strikers are striking for?

MrShed

jessicar wrote: »

There's the ludicrous 'Daily Mail' argument coming out again. Just because the majority of people have considered information gained from a variety of sources and don't agree with you, it must be the fault of the Daily Mail.

I hardly think that if DM readers were the influencing factor in this country that a lot of things that have happened in the last decade would have taken place.

Face it - the general public aren't backing this strike. Not, I think because of the media, but because in their daily lives they go to work and see exactly what's happening, they've seen the reality of the recession, and think that people who can't see that endangering their own company and their own jobs by striking in this economic climate need a reality check.

A lot of them work for employers who don't need to consult anybody when changing things, they don't have a union, and they've seen their pay frozen or cut, and people lose jobs - but accept it's the harsh reality of life in a recession.

Most people who have seen the job market out there, they feel lucky to have a job and don't see why BA Cabin Crew are risking theirs and then expecting public sympathy when they seem to be a lot better off than a lot of people.

Your company goes under - you lose your job - your fortunes are tied in together so making them lose more money when they're already making a loss and thinking that's going to help the situation, seems like strange logic to most people.

Very well said and eloquantly put jessicar.

mjh421

jamesevans25 wrote: »

I agree with Sindbad, far too many Daily Mail readers on this forum and in this country. Its about time people stopped being told what to think and did some research for themselves. The media are basicly telling us all to vote conservative this year so low and behold they will win.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. The absolute bigotry displayed by people who pretend to being informed but are really only pushing their warped ideology is displayed by how often they jump in to contribute.
All patting each other on the back when they think they have scored. The truth is a daily mail reader does not care about the valid reasons for anything if it does not further their own selfish,greedy personal gain.

MrShed

mjh421 wrote: »

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. The absolute bigotry displayed by people who pretend to being informed but are really only pushing their warped ideology is displayed by how often they jump in to contribute.
All patting each other on the back when they think they have scored. The truth is a daily mail reader does not care about the valid reasons for anything if it does not further their own selfish,greedy personal gain.

Bigotry? For having a tongue in ones own head that disagrees with yours?

mjh421

Gordon Brown is now a mail fan is he? he is also not known for his fondness of unions, which is probably why he seems to be in your camp. You are doubtless overjoyed with that prospect.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Why is there not an option for ;

Never had the money to fly anywhere, so couldn't really care less either way?

CelticFire

It is clear that this strike is manufactured and sustained by Walsh in an attempt to break the union. It is an unfortunate facet of british psychology but I cannot remember the British public ever backing a strike. The majority react on a personal basis to their own inconvenience rather than applying any analysis of the situation. It is an unfortunate, selfish attitude. No worker takes the decision to strike lightly, even more so in the current financial climate. It is obvious therefore that they have been pushed into this position by managerial intransigence. It was a disgrace to withdraw the previous offer on the grounds that BA had lost money in the intervening time. To suggest that everyone should just be glad to have a job and just accept whatever any management decides, displays a subservience that makes me cringe.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Subservience? - or the knowledge that everyone else has been treated like this for years, without a union in place to argue for what they all agree have been the best working conditions around.

Most people in the UK are aware that they are not irreplaceable. It is only now that BA staff are being shown this harsh reality.