“The glamour of the job is just a mask”
British Airways crew members defy strikebreaking operation
By
Ross Mitchell
7 July 2017
British Airways (BA) “mixed fleet” cabin crew at Heathrow airport are striking to oppose poverty pay and in opposition to punitive sanctions against around 1,400 workers involved in previous industrial action.
The strike by crew members—who work a combination of long- and short-haul flights–began on July 1 and will last until July 16. This is latest job action in one of the longest industrial disputes in the European airline industry this century.
The dispute has comprised a total of 26 days of strikes and bears witness to the resilience and determination of BA workers.
BA mixed fleet crews number 3,000 and have a nominal salary ranging from £12,000 (US $15,561) to £16,000 (US $20,748) with expenses. Some crew members even sleep in their cars between flights to save on accommodation expenses, while others come to work while sick to avoid losing pay.
The sanctions against cabin crew workers, which management describe as the “consequences of striking,” including docking two years of bonuses and removing all staff travel discounts for the next year for anyone joining the strike. The Unite union estimates this would cost strikers an average of £850 (US$1,102).
A statement from the airline read, “We have set out the consequences for crew if they take strike action. The purposes of these consequences are to encourage crew to come to work.”
Management have devised a massive strikebreaking operation. They secured an agreement with the government-backed Civil Aviation Authority–responsible for the regulation of aviation safety in the UK–for the hiring of nine short-haul Airbus A320 jets, plus pilots and cabin crew as well as…