Baggage handlers at LHR and ABZ to strike over Christmas/New Year

That time of the month….:dev2:

Well your right in some respects Josh, as we all know how stressful this time of the month can be, however, the actual cause of the problem is that airlines are cutting services left, right and centre in order to cut their costs and save themselves money.

Whilst thats fine for them, it creates a big problem for the ground handling companies who at the end of the day still need to have enough staff to carry out their operations, and they still need to be able to pay their staff for the jobs they do. With decreased revenues coming in from airlines its a very challenging time for all concerned.

At my particular workplace, we have just merged with another ground handling company, which in itself has created lots of issues which are taking a long time to be resolved, and so the Unions are doing a lot of work for us by protecting and representing us, to avoid us from being trampled on by the management.

Its not that we are resistant to change, but when you get so used to doing things in a particular way, and then you get told that the process is changing at short notice, naturally there is going to be a conflict between the two parties involved and when management refuse to budge or at least come to a sensible agreement, going on strike is seen as the only way forward to get our feelings across. We certainly do not do it to simply cause disruption to the travelling public…its just an unfortunate consequence that they get stuck in the middle of all of this.

And with respect to my actual job, I am aware that the airline I currently represent are activley looking to move to a different terminal at some point in the future, which will mean that our company will more than likely loose the contract to handle them. There is a lot of rumours and hearsay that it could on the cards quite soon into 2010, and with the job situation as it is at the moment, there is a lot of uncertainty at the moment about how safe our jobs are…

Jono, Andy wasn’t aiming the “insult” at the staff, you. I believe he was aiming it at the Union. They did not get their way with the BA strike therefore they choose to get the ground crew on strike, which in the end will cause just as much disruption.

Pop out the chill pills brother….

Yeah, thanks Josh, sorry for being rude to you on MSN y’day, it was just the fact that I had come home from a long and frustrating day at work having to deal with loads of issues, ranging from oversold flights to small problems such as families upset that they are not seated together. To come home and log-in and read a comment like Andy’s just made me loose my temper a bit.;)

So your suggesting workers should put all contractual rights on hold simply because its a critical travel period…even if it means them working a job and not getting paid for doing it?

OK, tell me this then… Why are the baggage handlers going on strike on 22nd and 23rd December, and on 27th and 28th December – but not on strike on [say] 25th December? Heathrow is open on 25th, so why not just carry on from 22nd through to 25th rather than break off (rather conveniently) for the holiday itself? Could it be because:

a. Fewer people travel on Christmas day, so there’d be less disruption that day
or
b. Some strikers want to be working on Christmas day (and maybe being paid a premium for doing so)
or
c. The strikers want to be at home on Christmas day rather than on picket lines

Again, I am not particularly disputing the right to strike as such, but just the synical way this union in particular goes for the most selfish, most disruptive, dates to strike. Passengers don’t have a particular thing against the workers, but just as much as people have a right to strike so do passengers ahve a right to travel on the dates they’ve booked

Andy

So whats the cause of the problem?

Rgds Cking

That time of the month….:dev2:

Jono, Andy wasn’t aiming the “insult” at the staff, you. I believe he was aiming it at the Union. They did not get their way with the BA strike therefore they choose to get the ground crew on strike, which in the end will cause just as much disruption.

Pop out the chill pills brother….

So whats the cause of the problem?

Rgds Cking

I didn’t say that the workers were tossers, I said the union were tossers….hold passengers to ransom particularly not at such a critical travel period.

Andy

It is the unions that represent the workers, thats what we pay them out of our wages to do, without them we would have no rights whatsoever!?

So your suggesting workers should put all contractual rights on hold simply because its a critical travel period…even if it means them working a job and not getting paid for doing it?:confused:

Please don’t think I am having a personal attack on you Andy, but I am just trying to balance the argument in the hope that it will stir up a stronger debate…

I didn’t say that the workers were tossers, I said the union were tossers. No problem with workers wanting to improve their lot in life, but unions absolutely should not be able to hold passengers to ransom particularly not at such a critical travel period.

Andy

Seems like its those tossers at Unite again!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8417148.stm

Andy

Thanks to Andy’s insulting comment above, its refreshing to truly know how/what people think of those that work in a similar environment and how much of a lack of respect people have towards the job that we do…

Tell you what Andy, why not come down to LHR tomorrow and help us out in the snow and then be told that you wont get paid for it, then you’ll see and experience it for yourself, PM me if you fancy it, although I wont hold my breath to a reply?!:mad:

Seems like its those tossers at Unite again!!!
Andy

Or…..What un acceptable thing have the management decided to impose on the workforce???

Rgds Cking