British Airways cabin crew vote to strike over pay dispute

worldtraveller

British Airways cabin crew have voted in favour of strikes which could severely impact flights at Heathrow airport over Christmas.

The ballot began last month over a pay dispute involving about 4,000 staff who have joined the airline since 2010 on "Mixed Fleet" contracts.

More than 2,000 workers were balloted about the action, which will take place at Heathrow Airport after December 21, Unite union has confirmed.

Tunout in the ballot was 60 per cent. The union will meet in the coming days to finalise dates.

Independent

Cabin crew ballot for industrial action

Summary
British Airways is extremely disappointed that the trade union Unite is creating uncertainty for our customers.

More information
Mixed Fleet Unite represents about 15 per cent of our cabin crew.

We remain focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.

We would like to reassure our customers that we have a range of contingency plans in place and will operate the vast majority of our flights as planned if Unite acts upon the result of this ballot.

Currently all flights are operating as normal and therefore all of our normal terms and conditions apply.

You can check your flight status here

Under UK law Unite must give at least seven days' notice of any period of industrial action.

If Unite chooses to announce a period of industrial action, then we will publish full details of our revised flight schedule to give any affected customers the opportunity to adjust their travel plans.

British Airways

richardw

It's only Mixed Fleet crew, the other 85% of the crew workforce will not strike.
The Union have to give 7 days notice for strikes, this gives plenty of time for BA to re-route passengers as Article 8 of EU Reg 261:2004.

worldtraveller

Crew who are members of the Unite union and work for the airline’s Mixed Fleet operation will strike on 25 and 26 December.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: “This calculated and heartless action is completely unnecessary and we are determined that it will fail.

“We will plan to ensure all our customers travel to their destinations so that their Christmas arrangements are not ruined. We will publish more details within the next 72 hours.”

The Independent calculates that 59 routes are crewed by Mixed Fleet from Heathrow.

Independent

Threatened industrial action

Last updated: 20:30, 16 December 2016

The trade union Unite has announced that it intends to hold industrial action involving one of our five cabin crew fleets on Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26).

We are appalled that Unite proposes to disrupt customers’ travel plans on such special days when so many families are trying to gather together or set off on well-deserved holidays.

This calculated and heartless action is completely unnecessary and we are determined that it will fail.

We will plan to ensure that all our customers travel to their destinations so that their Christmas arrangements are not ruined.

We will publish more details in the next 72 hours.

However, we can already confirm that:

• All flights to and from London Gatwick will not be affected.
• All flights to and from London City will not be affected.
• All flights to and from Stansted will not be affected.
• Flights operated by subsidiary OpenSkies between Paris and New York will not be affected.
• Flights operated by British Airways franchise partners (Comair in South Africa and SUN-AIR in Scandinavia) will not be affected.
• Flights operated by other carriers (including oneworld Alliance partners) which have a BA codeshare flight number will not be affected.

If you hold a ticket on any of these types of flights the normal fare rules will apply.
Find out more about long haul flights to/from Heathrow
Find out more about short haul flights to/from Heathrow

Please do not call our contact centres as at this stage they will not be able to provide any more details than are contained here.

British Airways remains fully committed to finding a solution to this issue, but wants you to have sufficient time ahead of the proposed strike action for alternative travel arrangements to be made.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

British Airways

Sicard

And BA staff are amongst the best paid airline employees, and having flown many times with various airlines I'd say they're probably the most arrogant too.

SW17

Sicard wrote: »

And BA staff are amongst the best paid airline employees, and having flown many times with various airlines I'd say they're probably the most arrogant too.

The Mixed Fleet crew concerned here are certainly not among the best paid airline (or any other industry) employees. That might apply to some of the other BA crew fleets, which is why BA have been offering them voluntary redundancy in order to replace them with Mixed Fleet on very cheap contracts.

Westin

We are appalled that Unite proposes to disrupt customers’ travel plans on such special days when so many families are trying to gather together or set off on well-deserved holidays.

This calculated and heartless action is completely unnecessary and we are determined that it will fail.

And yet Mr.Walsh seems to rather crudely announce to shareholders what he is really only interested in.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2201771/greedy-british-airways-bosses-joke-about-crude-slogan-show-me-the-fing-money-as-passengers-face-less-leg-room-and-cramped-seats/

Westin

Sicard wrote: »

And BA staff are amongst the best paid airline employees, and having flown many times with various airlines I'd say they're probably the most arrogant too.

??? Really.

Perhaps 10+ years ago but not for the current BA Mixed Fleet staff.

£12,000 basic and around £16,000 with flying allowances.

http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/british-airways-cabin-crew-in-strike-vote-over-poverty-pay-levels/

gingerdad

Time to sack them. Simple.

BA staff costs where and are killing them as locked into old t&cs so the newer staff on different t&cs. And joined knowing the pay.

Used to work for a smaller carrier that was very successful so much that BA bought them and within a few years were sold for a £1 to Flybe.

Don't agree with strikes should be allied to dismiss them all - that includes southern trains - which are about to ruin my day.

masterwilde

you dont agree with strikes..... sack them all.....

and you should certainly not be in charge for those statements.

unions have a place in society... would you prefer to go back to Victorian age, and force hard labour back on us all

worldtraveller

Threatened industrial action

Last updated: 12:30, 19 December 2016

Following the announcement on Friday by the trade union Unite that it intends to hold industrial action involving one of our five cabin crew fleets on Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December), we have spent the weekend reviewing our contingency plans.

We are planning to run a full schedule on Christmas Day and Boxing Day despite the threatened industrial action.

British Airways remains fully committed to finding a solution to this issue.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

British Airways

Westin

worldtraveller wrote: »

Threatened industrial action

Last updated: 12:30, 19 December 2016

Following the announcement on Friday by the trade union Unite that it intends to hold industrial action involving one of our five cabin crew fleets on Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December), we have spent the weekend reviewing our contingency plans.

We are planning to run a full schedule on Christmas Day and Boxing Day despite the threatened industrial action.

British Airways remains fully committed to finding a solution to this issue.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

British Airways

Well from the side of the BA customers due to travel those two days that sounds like great news. :T I do however wonder how BA have managed this.

Being Christmas Day and Boxing Day, either they have called upon crews from other BA fleets to work which can't have been great news for those guys if they had been rostered off over the Christmas period (wonder what sentiment they are feeling) - or - BA have had to put a large amount of money on the table to "encourage" those non-striking and available crews to work over the festive period. If money is what has made this happen then it is a shame that this could not have been given to those Mixed Fleet crews in the first place.