BA Hangs Tough, But What Price Employee Engagement?

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  1

  MotivationDoc

  12/16/09 | Report as spam

  RE: BA Hangs Tough, But What Price Employee Engagement?

  Would you want to fly with an airline with so many unhappy employees? I wouldn't want to be a 30,000 ft. with people who had been forced back to work.

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  Highstreet

  12/17/09 | Report as spam

  RE: BA Hangs Tough, But What Price Employee Engagement?

  Pilots, cabin crew and engineers do nothing but whinge about everything. BA's labour costs are unsustainable, and the pension fund is a major problem. If the pilots and cabin crew salaries and allowances were halved, they would still be well paid relative to others in the industry. MotivationDoc is misguided if he/she thinks BA is the only airline with unhappy crews. Crews in all airlines are unhappy. That is what they do for a living - whinge. They are employed to fly, they are paid to fly, but moan when they have to fly. My advice to MotivationDoc is do not fly with any airline if you are worried about being at 33,000 ft with unhappy crews. And if you were wondering - I am a pilot. When I started my flying career, colleagues complained about salary, allowances, hotel accommodation, the roster, earlies and lates, fatigue and 'the idiots running this airline'. 35 years later my colleagues complain about salary, allowances, hotel accommodation, the roster, earlies and lates, fatigue and 'the idiots running this airline'. Need I say more.

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  3

  MotivationDoc

  12/17/09 | Report as spam

  RE: BA Hangs Tough, But What Price Employee Engagement?

  It just goes to show how poor the management has been over the years if there is all that whinging and complaining. And sadly, I hear it in many organisations. I just feel dissapointed that BA management feel they have to go to court to get their people to work. And it has to be said; In all my years of flying with different airlines, I've always been treated well and pleasantly by the crew.

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  4

  Highstreet

  12/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: BA Hangs Tough, But What Price Employee Engagement?

  There are a number of issues here. For the past couple of years Unite have been stalking cabin crew at various UK airlines trying to press-gang them into joining the union. For some reason Unite think the cabin crew are an easy target, can be bullied, and a quick way to bolster membership numbers. Unite is out of its depth. It is dealing with an industry that has been deregulated for 20 years. Over that period the entire airline model has changed beyond all recognition. The low cost model, as it is commonly called, is economically robust and is proving to be resilient during a major economic downturn. Deregulation has brought about fierce competition between short-haul airlines and in general it has benefitted the consumer. This competition has changed a dinosaur of an industry into an efficient economic/commercial entity. The secret is flexibility, constantly questioning how things are done, and a relentless driving down of costs. Those in the low cost sector, be they management, office staff, crews or engineers, know this and contribute to its success. They also earn a good salary. There is a major spin-off in that airlines put pressure on aircraft manufacturers to build aircraft that cost less to operate which in turn reduces fuel usage and emissions. BA's current cost structure makes it uncompetitive. It has tried (and been relatively successful) with the short-haul business but its has no room to grow the business. It relies on the high-yield long-haul business passenger. This part of the business also has a cost base that is unsustainable. Whichever way one looks at it, BA has struggled to adapt to the changing environment. Which brings us back to Unite. This union is dealing with BA as if it were the 1970s. It is not about the wellbeing of BA cabin crew, it is all about Unite. BA has no choice but to reduce its cost base, and it can be done with the cooperation of the crews. The low cost sector has done it without union agitation. Yes it is only right to look after your employees, but it is also right to work together to change things without outside interference from 'strangers' who do not understand the economics of the industry and have an agenda. It is rich Unite telling BA management that they do not know what they are doing, when Unite itself cannot organise a ballot properly. How dare they criticise people who are grappling with a very complex issue when they themselves cannot even sort out a list of names properly. Does this have an impact on safety? MotivationDoc seems to think so. Yet again a comment about the aviation industry that is ill-informed. Aviation is about safety. EVERYONE who works in the industry thinks, eats, talks, walks, and sleeps safety. It is an integral part of what we do. There are international, EU, and national statutory requirements that have to be complied with. It is all overseen, audited, and controlled by relevant civil aviation authorites. Initial crew training is exemplary. Ongoing training involves 6 monthly simulator check rides and technical refreshers. There are checks and balances at every step of the way. There are safety management systems in place and aircraft flight data is downloaded via the internet every night and analysed for any discrepencies. Crewmembers will never ever inadvertently compromise safety. Lastly the best safety feature of all - crewmembers like to get home safely to their own families.