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British Airways strike
January 22, 2007
British Airways on Monday asked for arbitration aimed at averting strikes by cabin crew which would halt operations next week. A deal to address BA's pension deficit and approve new working conditions, which seemed close two weeks ago, crumbled on Sunday when the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) announced plans for a three-day walkout from January 29 and the possibility of two more. Chief Executive Willie Walsh urged the union to negotiate rather than strike. "A strike would be completely unnecessary and unjustified," Walsh said in a news release on Monday. "I am convinced we can settle the issues at the center of this dispute through sensible discussion and negotiation." The airline said it had asked the publicly funded, independent ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) to help. Among unresolved issues are differences over the airline's sick-leave policy and its pay scales. The airline says cabin crew were taking an average of 22 sick days a year before a new absence policy was introduced in October 2005 which has lowered the figure to 12 days. BA says the union also wants the airline to combine its two cabin crew pay scales, the newer of which was agreed to by the union a decade ago. The move would cost BA up to GBP19 million pounds (USD$37.5 million) a year, a spokeswoman said. "Unfortunately because of the nature of the demands put forward by the T&G cabin crew union in recent days, we have not yet been able to find a solution or engage in the kind of positive dialogue we have achieved with other groups of employees," Walsh said. T&G Deputy General Secretary Jack Dromey said the union was open to talks, but the two sides needed to resolve some "immediate and very difficult issues" including "unfair sickness management procedures". "In the next 48 to 72 hours, we need a settlement," Dromey told BBC Radio 4. "We will negotiate night and day." Last week, the union said 96 percent of the cabin crew it represents had voted for strike action. T&G members include 10,500 cabin crew out of a total of about 14,000 at BA. BA says it will make a one-time contribution of GBP800 million (USD$1.58 billion) into the pension fund in return for changes to benefits as part of a plan to lower its GBP2.1 billion (USD$4.17 billion) deficit to GBP900 million (USD$1.78 billion). BA said it will allow passengers booked to fly between January 29 and February 16 to change their travel plans. (Reuters) |
email from BA
The Transport and General Workers Union's (T&G) cabin crew branch has announced that it is planning industrial action on January 29, 30 and 31; February 5, 6 and 7; and February 12, 13 and 14. We would like to assure you that we remain committed to resolving this dispute through continued talks. We have today asked an external mediation service to assist us in taking this process forward with the T&G. In the meantime, all British Airways flights continue to operate normally. We are currently assessing the impact any potential industrial action will have on our flight schedule, in the event that a strike does take place. We are working as quickly as possible to confirm our plans for the affected period. If you are due to travel between January 29 and February 16 we understand that you may wish to change your plans. As a result, we have introduced a policy that enables you to rebook flights for a different date. We understand that this is an uncertain time for our customers. We would like to reassure you that we are doing everything we can to make sure that disruption is minimised in the event of any industrial action. To enable us to reach you with the latest travel information, we recommend you update your contact details (mobile number, email address) in your travel booking. You can do so by visiting Manage My Booking at ba.com. We hope to make full information available regarding the first period of action from Wednesday, January 24, and will update you accordingly. With this said, if we have to make flight cancellations as a result of this industrial action, we will publish a comprehensive policy that will cover rebooking, rerouting and refund options. You may be able to make changes to your booking via the Change Booking facility on ba.com. If you are unable to make changes to your booking on ba.com you can call British Airways or contact your travel agent. If you are in the US, Canada or the Caribbean you can call us at 1-800-452-1201. In the UK you can reach us on (freephone) 0800 727 800. For the latest information on the situation, please go to the latest flight news pages on ba.com. Yours sincerely, British Airways |
Thus.update
As you may be aware, the cabin crew branch of the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) has notified British Airways today (Wednesday January 24) that it has decided to cancel the first day of its planned strike (Monday January 29). Strikes are still scheduled to take place on Tuesday January 30 and Wednesday January 31 followed by 72-hour walk-outs beginning on Monday February 5 and Monday February 12. We would like to assure you that we remain committed to the pursuit of a negotiated settlement. If the T&G does not call off the rest of its strikes for next week we will announce tomorrow (Thursday January 25) details of our flight schedule for the first period of action. We will update you with this information as soon as it is available. We understand that this is an uncertain time for our customers. We would like to reassure you that we are doing everything we can to make sure that disruption is minimised in the event of any strike action. If you are due to travel between January 29 and February 16 we understand that you may wish to change your plans. As a result, we have introduced a policy that enables you to rebook flights for a different date. If you are currently holding a booking for a flight departing on Tuesday January 30 or Wednesday January 31 and wish to obtain a refund you should contact us. If you are in the US, Canada or the Caribbean, you can call us at 1 800 AIRWAYS. In the UK you can reach us on (freephone) 0800 727 800. You can find contact details of local British Airways call centres on ba.com http://ba.com/contact Alternatively, if your booking was made through a travel agent, you should contact them directly. In the event of strike action we will publish a comprehensive policy that will cover re-booking, re-routing and refund options if flights are cancelled. You may be able to change the date of your booking via the Change Booking facility on ba.com. Please visit http://ba.com/mmb If you are unable to make changes to your booking on ba.com, you can call British Airways or your travel agent. For the latest information on the situation, please go to the latest flight news pages on ba.com http://ba.com/lfn Yours faithfully, British Airways ------------------ Flights which are unaffected by potential strike action ------------------ Flights operated by our subsidiary, BA Connect, franchise partners BMED, GB Airways, SunAir and Comair as well as flights operated by our codeshare partners with a BA flight code and flights between Manchester and New York JFK are unaffected by any potential strike action (* for more information please go to the bottom of the email). Flights between Manchester and New York JFK BA1502 and BA1503 Flights operated by British Airways subsidiary BA Connect, with flight number between: BA1504 - BA1999 BA4000 - BA4249 BA4320 - BA4449 BA7600 - BA7949 BA8700 - BA8770 Franchise carriers (GB Airways, BMED, Loganair, Sunair and Comair) and flights operated by our codeshare partners with a BA flight code, with flight numbers between: BA3320 - BA3329 BA4250 - BA4319 BA4500 - BA7599 BA8200 - BA8299 BA8450 - BA8497 BA8771 - BA8999 In your flight booking details, there should also be information about which airline you are flying with, usually indicated in a section labelled 'operated by.' ----------------- While we endeavour to offer you as full a service as possible, we are unable to respond to individual replies to this email. |
Big trouble definitely brewing for next week. Keep in mind that this also affects the neighboring countries, as potential BA passengers are going to be scrambling for alternate airlines. Not a good time to check in late for flights that might interest them -- that's when they really give away your seat.
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Sorry about the duplicate post. kerouac and I were posting within minutes of each other.
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And another Tursday update
As you may be aware, the cabin crew branch of the Transport and General Workers Union plans to strike on Tuesday, January 30, and Wednesday, January 31, 2007. We would like to assure you that we remain committed to the pursuit of a negotiated settlement. As you would expect, we have been assessing the impact that any strike action will have on our flight schedule. In order to help you prepare for the industrial action, we have now announced our schedule for the period of the planned strike. Please be advised, that even if an agreement is reached prior to Tuesday, January 30, our schedule will be significantly impacted. Please see below for the latest flight schedule information: Flights into the UK British Airways will: Operate all longhaul (intercontinental) flights departing on Tuesday, January 30, flying into London Heathrow Operate some longhaul flights into London Heathrow on Wednesday, January 31 Operate no shorthaul (European and UK domestic) services into London Heathrow on either day of the strike period Operate no shorthaul services into London Gatwick on either day of the strike period Operate all longhaul services into London Gatwick during the strike period except flights from Tampa, Bermuda and Barbados, which will operate from their originating airport on Tuesday, January 30, but may be subject to cancellation on Wednesday, January 31. Please visit ba.com for details Cancel some further services into the UK in the days following the strike as it seeks to recover its operation and position aircraft and crew around the world Flights out of the UK British Airways will: Operate no longhaul (intercontinental) or shorthaul (European or UK domestic) flights from London Heathrow during the strike period (12:01 AM GMT on Tuesday, January 30, until 11:59 PM GMT on Wednesday, January 31) Operate no shorthaul services from London Gatwick during the strike period Operate longhaul services from London Gatwick during the strike period except flights to Tampa, Bermuda and Barbados In addition, the airline may experience further disruption to its flight schedule in the days following the strike as it seeks to recover its operation and position aircraft and crew around the world. Strike action will not affect flights operated by British Airways subsidiary BA Connect (this also includes all London City operated flights) or our franchise partners, BMED, GB Airways, Loganair, SunAir and Comair. Flights between Manchester and New York JFK, and codeshare flights and services operated by our oneworld partners carrying a British Airways flight number will continue to operate as normal.* For full flight details and up-to-date information, please go to the latest flight news pages on ba.com. In addition, you may check whether your flight is operating by entering the booking reference number and name in the Manage My Booking section of ba.com. If your flights have been disrupted as a result of the planned strike, we have published a comprehensive policy covering re-booking, re-routing and refund options. Full details are available on ba.com. You must directly contact British Airways or your travel agent in order to rebook flights or request a refund. You will not be able to claim back the cost of a newly purchased ticket on another airline. It is possible there could be further cancellations on either side of the strike dates because of aircraft and crew being out of position. Please be sure to check ba.com or speak to your travel agent to ensure your flight is still operating before departing for the airport. You should not come to the airport if your flight has been cancelled. We are extremely sorry for any disruption and inconvenience this planned strike may cause you. Please be assured we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our customers. For complete schedule information and updates to the commercial policy, please visit ba.com. Thank you for your understanding and patience at this difficult time. Yours sincerely, British Airways * Flights operated by our subsidiary, BA Connect, franchise partners BMED, GB Airways, SunAir and Comair as well as flights operated by our codeshare partners with a BA flight code and flights between Manchester and New York JFK are unaffected by any potential strike action. Flights between Manchester and New York JFK: BA1502 and BA1503 Flights operated by British Airways subsidiary BA Connect, with flight number between: BA1504 - BA1999 BA4000 - BA4249 BA4320 - BA4449 BA7600 - BA7949 BA8700 - BA8770 Franchise carriers (GB Airways, BMED, Loganair, Sunair and Comair) and flights operated by our codeshare partners with a BA flight code, with flight numbers between: BA3320 - BA3329 BA4250 - BA4319 BA4500 - BA7599 BA8200 - BA8299 BA8450 - BA8497 BA8771 - BA8999 In your flight booking details, there should also be information about which airline you are flying with, usually indicated in a section labelled "operated by". Update your email address, unsubscribe from the Executive Club email service or update your communications preferences at ba.com. Please note that we may communicate some news, offers, partner or BA Miles promotions by email only. You may contact us via email at ba.com/askba. British Airways will not sell your data to any third party for direct marketing. View our privacy policy. This email was sent to you by British Airways Plc, Waterside, Speedbird |
Another update...
Following our communications earlier this week, we are writing to advise you of additional schedule changes due to the planned industrial action by the Transport and General Workers Union's (T&G) cabin crew branch. In addition to the cancellations that have already been announced for Tuesday, January 30, and Wednesday, January 31, we now have the flight cancellation schedule for February 1 through February 4. The most up-to-date schedule, highlighting additional cancellations for the days following the strike, is now available here on ba.com. Please follow the link to "Which flights are not operating after 31 January 2007?". This information will be updated as further changes occur, so please refer to the page frequently. We have also published a comprehensive policy covering rebooking, rerouting and refund options. If your flights have been disrupted as a result of the planned strike, please visit this page on ba.com and select "What are my options if my flight is cancelled?". You must contact your travel agent or British Airways directly in order to rebook flights or request a refund. From the United States, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean, you can reach us at 1-800-AIRWAYS (1-800-247-9297). In the UK you can reach us on (freephone) 0800-727-800. Customers will not be able to claim back the cost of a newly purchased ticket on another airline. Please know that we remain committed to finding a resolution to this situation. Thank you for your understanding and patience at this difficult time. Yours sincerely, British Airways |
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