I wish virgin would just put us out of our misery!!!!

graciesmummy

The wait is driving me insane! i'm due to fly to vegas on the 14th and i just want to know if its going to happen or not!:(

bagand96

Virgin Management and the Union have been in talks most of the week to try and bash out a resolution. The Union's news page can be found here: http://www.balpa.org/News-and-campaigns/News.aspx

Not sure it it will be much help or not, but for the moment it seems they are reviewing their position over the weekend.

Mr_Wang

I remember the other year when the militants decided to strike, Branson basically wrote a letter to every employee and told them - If you dont like it, see you later.

Perhaps he should do the same again. And if they do strike, sack every one of them.

bagand96

I remember the other year when the militants decided to strike, Branson basically wrote a letter to every employee and told them - If you dont like it, see you later.

BALPA are probably the least hardline/militant union around. There hasn't been a UK pilot strike since the 70's.

Perhaps he should do the same again. And if they do strike, sack every one of them.

Excellent plan but who drives the planes?! Then nobody would be going anywhere, including the OP. Would probably finish off Virgin Atlantic.

Mr_Wang

bagand96 wrote: »

BALPA are probably the least hardline/militant union around. There hasn't been a UK pilot strike since the 70's.



Excellent plan but who drives the planes?! Then nobody would be going anywhere, including the OP. Would probably finish off Virgin Atlantic.

I read recently there are 3 pilots to every one.

I despise strikers, I have no time for them whatsoever and in the current climate there are more than enough willing people to take the place of those who can't be arsed going in to work.

bagand96

I read recently there are 3 pilots to every one.

There may be 3 pilots to every one job; well, there's probably enough 20-somethings who have secured loans on Mummy and Daddys home and have there ATPL.... But there isn't 700 odd jobless Boeing 747-400/Airbus A340 type rated guys out there. And even if there was, they would not be familiar with Virgin's SOP's... and assuming Training Captains will also be fired for striking, who's going to train them? The airline would fall down in days.

who can't be arsed going in to work

Its your viewpoint, and you're entitled to it. Personally I would not say that its not the case with Virgin pilots. BALPA aren't a militant union. Pilots are not stupid. And its not just about pay (despite the tabloid "Walking out over 4% headlines). Its about the disasterous employer/employee relations that Virgin have managed to engineer in recent times. No pilots strike since the 70's and then over 91% of Virgin's pilots feel they want to walk out the door to show how they feel. Even the most hardline company bosses should sit back and say "where's it all gone wrong".

Mr_Wang

bagand96 wrote: »

There may be 3 pilots to every one job; well, there's probably enough 20-somethings who have secured loans on Mummy and Daddys home and have there ATPL.... But there isn't 700 odd jobless Boeing 747-400/Airbus A340 type rated guys out there. And even if there was, they would not be familiar with Virgin's SOP's... and assuming Training Captains will also be fired for striking, who's going to train them? The airline would fall down in days.



Its your viewpoint, and you're entitled to it. Personally I would not say that its not the case with Virgin pilots. BALPA aren't a militant union. Pilots are not stupid. And its not just about pay (despite the tabloid "Walking out over 4% headlines). Its about the disasterous employer/employee relations that Virgin have managed to engineer in recent times. No pilots strike since the 70's and then over 91% of Virgin's pilots feel they want to walk out the door to show how they feel. Even the most hardline company bosses should sit back and say "where's it all gone wrong".

Absolutely, and you're right in just about everything you say.

But I have no time for people that strike - I take the view that if you are unhappy in your job - Get another.

bagand96

But I have no time for people that strike - I take the view that if you are unhappy in your job - Get another

Again, your view etc. The Virgin debacle is actually a lot more critical than most people realise - in terms of the whole industry. The pilot industry has been a race to the bottom for many years and its not a good thing (see Manx2 at Cork in February.) Virgin are about as far removed from that as they could be, fair enough, but they are trying to stop the rot before it sets in. A lot of people are watching with interest - it probably won't be the last ballot of pilots in the UK this year sadly.

Anyway, we digress, and its late on a Friday

Lady_S

Richard Branson did write an open letter to the union/potential strikers that was on his website the other day.

Basically, he has reivewed the figures as they requested ( even though from the statement he is no longer hands on with the airline) and they can't give them anymore, he wishes they could, but anything else would mean putting fares up, and therefore losing passengers, which can't happen.

HXDave

Graciesmummy,

critical day for you will be the 7th july. if they have not announced strike dates by then, then you should be ok (well, for OB sector anyway), as the union has to give a clear 7 days notice of any strikes.

IMHO, i believe they will not go on strike, and that it will be settled at the negotiation table. Like i say, thats my opinion and i may very well be wrong.

Hope your flight goes OK.

Regards

HXDave

kelloggs36

I am with the OP - it is driving us mad not knowing! We paid for our flights back in September for 27th July to Miami and at the moment cannot get excited about the holiday. I hope I don't have to tell the children that they aren't going on holiday to Florida. We are making contingency plans just in case (that doesn't mean buying new flights, but at least checking them out) to try and ensure as much as we can that we actually go. I am hoping that the lack of strike dates announcements means that negotiations are making some headway as they had said that they would announce by the beginning of last week. Fingers crossed for some good news on Monday.