British Airways ... well actually the Union of Communists

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Thanks you bunch of Communist tw@ts! :evil:

All I wanted to do was go to Toulouse to train for the Etape over the bank holiday weekend and what did you have to do?

go on strike again you lazy commie Pricks so the airline cancelled the flight! :evil:

All you are doing is pushing BA further into the red then what are you going to do? Protest that you don't have a job?!!?!?

<insert a long string of expletives here>

Roscobob

Agreed.

Highest paid in the industry too.

iainment

Highest paid doesn't necessarily mean overpaid.

What makes you think they're communists - you tw@t. Just because some opportunistsic idiots from SWP jump in to make their point doesn't make anyone involved in the dispute communist.

Get over it you selfish turbo trainer.

Gazzaputt

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Thanks you bunch of Communist tw@ts! :evil:

All I wanted to do was go to Toulouse to train for the Etape over the bank holiday weekend and what did you have to do?

go on strike again you lazy commie Pricks so the airline cancelled the flight! :evil:

All you are doing is pushing BA further into the red then what are you going to do? Protest that you don't have a job?!!?!?

<insert a long string of expletives here>

Ill thought through rant. Read the real facts of their grievances instead of relying on Daily Mail headlines.

Bikerbaboon

Communists? Realy
Communism is a social structure in which classes are abolished and property is commonly controlled,

are they realy after centraly controlled Property ?

I would go for greedy self centered gits whos heads are so far up there own asses they can no longer smell the shit.

please dont put communists in with BA trollie doillies.

disgruntledgoat

Fact is the guy has lost out on his holiday... Like the vast majority of strikes, tehy only hurt your customers.


Anyway, I'm heartened to see I'm no thte only one who still uses Commie as a term of abuse.

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

iainment wrote:

Highest paid doesn't necessarily mean overpaid.

What makes you think they're communists - you tw@t. Just because some opportunistsic idiots from SWP jump in to make their point doesn't make anyone involved in the dispute communist.

Get over it you selfish turbo trainer.

'Yes' so selfish of me to want to be able to go on the flight I'd paid for and stay in the accomodation I'd paid for so that I could train for the race I'd paid to race in.

'sorry' :roll:

iainment

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

iainment wrote:

Highest paid doesn't necessarily mean overpaid.

What makes you think they're communists - you tw@t. Just because some opportunistsic idiots from SWP jump in to make their point doesn't make anyone involved in the dispute communist.

Get over it you selfish turbo trainer.

'Yes' so selfish of me to want to be able to go on the flight I'd paid for and stay in the accomodation I'd paid for so that I could train for the race I'd paid to race in.

'sorry' :roll:

So if workers have a grievance what should they do then. Check out with every customer when it would be convenient to withdraw their labour.
Stop blaming the workers and have a look at incompetent managers allowing situations to get to this.

Pross

Gazzaputt wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Thanks you bunch of Communist tw@ts! :evil:

All I wanted to do was go to Toulouse to train for the Etape over the bank holiday weekend and what did you have to do?

go on strike again you lazy commie Pricks so the airline cancelled the flight! :evil:

All you are doing is pushing BA further into the red then what are you going to do? Protest that you don't have a job?!!?!?

<insert a long string of expletives here>

Ill thought through rant. Read the real facts of their grievances instead of relying on Daily Mail headlines.

Which are? It appears their grievances now are issues they have brought on themselves in taking strike action. Whatever their original aim was they now seem to want to settle for getting back what the strike action has cost them. They need a reality check taking such action at a time when many are grateful to have a job. I certainly won't book any flights with BA as they are just too unpredictable, that nice carrier down the road with the red uniforms gets my vote everytime.

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

iainment wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

iainment wrote:

Highest paid doesn't necessarily mean overpaid.

What makes you think they're communists - you tw@t. Just because some opportunistsic idiots from SWP jump in to make their point doesn't make anyone involved in the dispute communist.

Get over it you selfish turbo trainer.

'Yes' so selfish of me to want to be able to go on the flight I'd paid for and stay in the accomodation I'd paid for so that I could train for the race I'd paid to race in.

'sorry' :roll:

So if workers have a grievance what should they do then. Check out with every customer when it would be convenient to withdraw their labour.
Stop blaming the workers and have a look at incompetent managers allowing situations to get to this.

Plenty of workers in plenty of industries have grievances everyday. They don't involve innocent parties to sort them either. Why should I, and thousands of others suffer because the selfish heads of these unions want to throw their weight around? There are plenty of other ways to air grievances rather than throwing your toys out of the pram.

BA is in the red and this ongoing rubbish with a union that likes to continually throw it's weight around is not helping to resolve that any time soon!

Nice day for a strike though. Hope you're wearing your sunscreen out there.

iainment

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

iainment wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

iainment wrote:

Highest paid doesn't necessarily mean overpaid.

What makes you think they're communists - you tw@t. Just because some opportunistsic idiots from SWP jump in to make their point doesn't make anyone involved in the dispute communist.

Get over it you selfish turbo trainer.

'Yes' so selfish of me to want to be able to go on the flight I'd paid for and stay in the accomodation I'd paid for so that I could train for the race I'd paid to race in.

'sorry' :roll:

So if workers have a grievance what should they do then. Check out with every customer when it would be convenient to withdraw their labour.
Stop blaming the workers and have a look at incompetent managers allowing situations to get to this.

Plenty of workers in plenty of industries have grievances everyday. They don't involve innocent parties to sort them either. Why should I, and thousands of others suffer because the selfish heads of these unions want to throw their weight around? There are plenty of other ways to air grievances rather than throwing your toys out of the pram.

BA is in the red and this ongoing rubbish with a union that likes to continually throw it's weight around is not helping to resolve that any time soon!

Nice day for a strike though. Hope you're wearing your sunscreen out there.

It's too simplistic to just blame the workers, there is a context to all disputes that lead to meltdown situations and usually it's management allowing things to get out of control.
I don't need sunscreen as I'm at work preparing a submission for a grant application to the EU.

simonaspinall

BA has a much higher cost base than othe rmajor airlines, which is a result of poor strategic management since privatisation and also the costs of labour and benefits...in particular the pension deficit.

Willie Walsh has shareholder's obligations to meet and that means changing the company, which I think the union has accepted. BA just aren't as competitive as they could be.

A lot of other long-haul carriers provide excellent service and the budget airlines are squeezing them on short-haul journeys.

Willie Wlash therefore needs to lower the cost of running the company and increase the BA offering either through quality and differentiation or by cost leadership and needs the cooperation of the staff to do this.

The unions have accepted that changes need to be made to protect the majority of the workers in the long-term future however it's getting over the short-term hump which seems to be the problem.

Yes, it is the first principal of unionism to protect the workers however this doesn't work too well when there are a lot of other substitute airlines available. If the unions keep the cost of production at too high a level and tarnish the brand then they are making their own funeral arrangements. What i'd be more impressed with is the unions and Willie Wlash deciding how they can improve the service and win back customers to fund the high cost base which means you get what you pay for: High quality service which is justly rewarded.

Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be happening. BA seem to be a unique company in that they have a traditional union set-up in the most competitive of industries - other previously nationalised industries don't seem to have the competitive rivalry to this - Railways, Miners etc. so it remains that the company is stalling.

I have to say though that if the two sides did cooperate you could have a hell of a company - both sides seem driven, determined and proud - spells a dream service quality package - why can't they harness it?

finchy

I don't know about this strike in particular, but speaking in general, any union-knockers should have a look at any country where the workers don't have strong representation and see how they get treated there.

magicrhodes

iainment wrote:

Highest paid doesn't necessarily mean overpaid.

In this case it does actually. If they lost their job some of them would have to take 50% pay cuts to work in a similar job in another company. Their contracts are a relic from when BA was publically owned.

The travel allowance issue is not actually that they have lost all privellages it just that they have been put to the back of the queue. So if 2 BA staff want to get on a plane to go on holiday and there is only one seat available. The one with the longest service would get the seat, as the striker's term of service is counted as from their strike date the other party would go first.

That is the reason the OP lost his flight, so that these people could hold him, the passengers, the company, the other employees to ransom.

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

johnfinch wrote:

I don't know about this strike in particular, but speaking in general, any union-knockers should have a look at any country where the workers don't have strong representation and see how they get treated there.

I'd say that's a massive generalisation. You seem to be comparing western countries to other countries such as China? Perhaps I'm wrong.

Nevertheless, there are many countries where there aren't huge unions around to dictate to the companies. I'm from one of them.

rick_chasey

Surely the question really should be:

Why did you buy a BA ticket?

Was there no alternative?

It's not like BA strikes have come out of the blue.

Bunneh

It's a shame BA can't bring in all those jobless people (such as myself), train them, and let them have the strikers' jobs. Not that I understand how the system works...

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surely the question really should be:

Why did you buy a BA ticket?

Was there no alternative?

It's not like BA strikes have come out of the blue.

Yes is the answer. Next ...

and yes they have striked before but they aren't EVERY weekend are they? Do you look at all the possible scenarios when choosing to go away? Like weather/volcanoes/strikes etc? Of course not. If you did you'd never go anywhere.

But there were no alternatives. Not at the right times and the right prices. BA is most definitely not my airline of choice strikes or no strkes.

Mad Roadie

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Thanks you bunch of Communist tw@ts! :evil:

All I wanted to do was go to Toulouse to train for the Etape over the bank holiday weekend and what did you have to do?

go on strike again you lazy commie Pricks so the airline cancelled the flight! :evil:

All you are doing is pushing BA further into the red then what are you going to do? Protest that you don't have a job?!!?!?

<insert a long string of expletives here>

harsh words indeed but agree with the sentiments - BA is the airline of choice for me - last choice when all others are booked. Owned by the Spanish now are they not , and how a mighty airline has been crippled by the unions again - doubtless there is some argumentative Scot in there somewhere!

its like the miners strike over again - the union has to give up on old business practices or drag the industry down with it

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Bunneh wrote:

It's a shame BA can't bring in all those jobless people (such as myself), train them, and let them have the strikers' jobs. Not that I understand how the system works...

Can you hand out food and point at an emergency sign? GREAT! you're hired!

Are you female and look good in a tight uniform? Sorry, please apply next door at Virgin

Roscobob

Mad Roadie wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Thanks you bunch of Communist tw@ts! :evil:

All I wanted to do was go to Toulouse to train for the Etape over the bank holiday weekend and what did you have to do?

go on strike again you lazy commie Pricks so the airline cancelled the flight! :evil:

All you are doing is pushing BA further into the red then what are you going to do? Protest that you don't have a job?!!?!?

<insert a long string of expletives here>

harsh words indeed but agree with the sentiments - BA is the airline of choice for me - last choice when all others are booked. Owned by the Spanish now are they not , and how a mighty airline has been crippled by the unions again - doubtless there is some argumentative Scot in there somewhere!

its like the miners strike over again - the union has to give up on old business practices or drag the industry down with it

You're not Freehub in disguise are you?

rick_chasey

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surely the question really should be:

Why did you buy a BA ticket?

Was there no alternative?

It's not like BA strikes have come out of the blue.

But there were no alternatives. Not at the right times and the right prices. BA is most definitely not my airline of choice strikes or no strkes.

So you put convenience & cost (right time and right price) as a higher priority than the risk of your flight to be cancelled due to a strike...

You took the gamble and lost. Fair dos.

Edit: People are easy to wind up > 'course it's annoying! But seriously, don't fly BA! Even if it's cheaper! Because that's what you're paying for!

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Rick Chasey wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surely the question really should be:

Why did you buy a BA ticket?

Was there no alternative?

It's not like BA strikes have come out of the blue.

But there were no alternatives. Not at the right times and the right prices. BA is most definitely not my airline of choice strikes or no strkes.

So you put convenience & cost (right time and right price) as a higher priority than the risk of your flight to be cancelled due to a strike...

You took the gamble and lost. Fair dos.

Edit: People are easy to wind up > 'course it's annoying! But seriously, don't fly BA! Even if it's cheaper! Because that's what you're paying for!

it's not even the cost. It's the time of the flights and the lack of choice.

Raphapimp

So if workers have a grievance what should they do then. Check out with every customer when it would be convenient to withdraw their labour.
Stop blaming the workers and have a look at incompetent managers allowing situations to get to this.[/quote]

Yes but if most of us decided we didn't like the terms - despite being the highest paid in the industry - of our employment our options would involve the 'f' and 'off' choices. If you don't like conditions then leave, they wont as the have it better than anyone. This guy is annoyed and you can't blame him. I'm off this week and would never book with BA. thats the way it will go and then there will be no terms for people to complain about as BA will go bump.

rick_chasey

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surely the question really should be:

Why did you buy a BA ticket?

Was there no alternative?

It's not like BA strikes have come out of the blue.

But there were no alternatives. Not at the right times and the right prices. BA is most definitely not my airline of choice strikes or no strkes.

So you put convenience & cost (right time and right price) as a higher priority than the risk of your flight to be cancelled due to a strike...

You took the gamble and lost. Fair dos.

Edit: People are easy to wind up > 'course it's annoying! But seriously, don't fly BA! Even if it's cheaper! Because that's what you're paying for!

it's not even the cost. It's the time of the flights and the lack of choice.

A time is better than no time, no?

In this case, the price of convenience is an increased risk of cancellation due to striking.

pneumatic

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Bunneh wrote:

It's a shame BA can't bring in all those jobless people (such as myself), train them, and let them have the strikers' jobs. Not that I understand how the system works...

Can you hand out food and point at an emergency sign? GREAT! you're hired!

Are you female and look good in a tight uniform? Sorry, please apply next door at Virgin

Blimey, fascist and sexist :roll:

I know you're miffed about your holiday and all that, but you really need to take a look at the way you are behaving. You're in danger of looking like a bit of a twit.

fast as fupp

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

johnfinch wrote:

I don't know about this strike in particular, but speaking in general, any union-knockers should have a look at any country where the workers don't have strong representation and see how they get treated there.

I'd say that's a massive generalisation. You seem to be comparing western countries to other countries such as China? Perhaps I'm wrong.

Nevertheless, there are many countries where there aren't huge unions around to dictate to the companies. I'm from one of them.

well fook off back there gobshite

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

pneumatic wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

Bunneh wrote:

It's a shame BA can't bring in all those jobless people (such as myself), train them, and let them have the strikers' jobs. Not that I understand how the system works...

Can you hand out food and point at an emergency sign? GREAT! you're hired!

Are you female and look good in a tight uniform? Sorry, please apply next door at Virgin

Blimey, fascist and sexist :roll:

I know you're miffed about your holiday and all that, but you really need to take a look at the way you are behaving. You're in danger of looking like a bit of a twit.

Sense of humour failure?

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

fast as fupp wrote:

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

johnfinch wrote:

I don't know about this strike in particular, but speaking in general, any union-knockers should have a look at any country where the workers don't have strong representation and see how they get treated there.

I'd say that's a massive generalisation. You seem to be comparing western countries to other countries such as China? Perhaps I'm wrong.

Nevertheless, there are many countries where there aren't huge unions around to dictate to the companies. I'm from one of them.

well fook off back there gobshite

Now I remember why I barely come in here anymore.

What a ridiculous thing to say.

Besides, I can't go ... YOUR f*cking airline isn't flying and MY airline is booked up because people enjoy the friendly service and good nature of it's staff. Guess I'll have to stay here then and continue depriving an englishman of a job.

jerk

(apologies to all you decent English of which I know there are many. No offence intended)

softlad

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

'Yes' so selfish of me to want to be able to go on the flight I'd paid for and stay in the accomodation I'd paid for so that I could train for the race I'd paid to race in.

it's not a race.

pneumatic

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

"(No offence intended)"

Now, that one was really hilarious!!