Strikes at Heathrow

[skelly]

Why were the staff at Heathrow on strike? Is it that they didn't like it because they were going to have to clock in and out of work? But loads of people all over the country have to clock in and out of work. Do those people who were on strike have something to hide? Maybe someone can explain to me what the problem is.

[treaclefight]

my thoughts exactly skelly, as far as i can tell staff have been signing in for each other etc and this will have to stop. i'm thinking that if the press had hold of that information before it was an industrial issue then BA would have been slaughtered for disregarding airport security, if you're paying someone a wage it seems reasonable to expect them to be at work. news 24 today mentioned that there may be a pay review going on in conjunction with this electronic swipe card system and maybe that is more sinister than it sounds, but again i cant help thinking that a pay review will be necessary after making sure everyone is at work who's supposed to be. perhaps that's the problem... BA are going to find out they only need half the staff they thought they did :-)

[treaclefight]

if there's any BA staff out there who understand it all please feel free to criticise, given half a chance i am normally unnecessarily militant and left wing, but i havent found a way of arguing that this action is right without looking silly, give me something so that i can shout on your behalf :-)

[yehiyeh_tov]

the electronic cloking in is seen as an infringment of rights and adds a certain degree of inflexibility to the job maybe it is just an excuse for BA workers to see Brits wait in lines and get hacked off but dont dare complain....I certainly think that the staff have a point as this could have major implications on pay and working conditions...maybe the BA management have overdosed on Big Brother and want to keep an eye on those in their charge?

[paulz]

There was also a whisper doing the rounds that they would be expected to do split shifts. ie early turn for say 4/5 hours, then return later in the day for the remainder of the shift. Funny how that's not been aired in the press, could just be gossip ...

[darth vader]

Infringement of rights? what rot! the right to what? - turn up late and sneak away early? Surely if they're paid to be there at a certain time then they should actually be there!

Actually where i work we're trying to get bosses to implement a clocking-in system so that we can have flexi-time - at the moment we're on "unlimited hours" contracts which means if we must work late then we must work late. They're dead against flexi-time of course. BA staff should think themselves lucky that at 5.31pm (or whenever their shift finishes) they can finish work - i will be working late again tonight.

[RCP]

In response to yehiyeh_tov, BA have every right to keep an eye on their workforce. They are paying them after all. I am in favour of unions as a general rule but unfortunately the moderate, common sense workers do not put themselves up for election as shop steward so you end up with industrial disputes where none should occur. I would be very happy to clock in and out so that my manager could see the extra hours I work (unpaid I might add). I'm sick of hearing about pay increases or one off payments given to people for things like a new computer system being installed & the re-training that goes with it. They're not being asked to do it in their spare time for God's sake. I despair sometimes at the unions' inability to see the bigger picture when they attempt to bring a co. to its knees for the 'rights' of the workers. It's a pyrrhic victory if the co. ends up going under because of the restrictive measures imposed by the union. Rant over.

[skelly]

Like Darth and RCP I have to work the neccessary hours to get the job done. If that involves coming in early, staying late or working weekends, then I do it. I don't get paid any extra for it. Maybe that is why I'm finding this dispute so hard to follow. I would expect people to work the hours that they are paid to work. But maybe I'm being a bit short sited here, maybe there's more to it than that, I'm only going with what I see in the papers or hear from other people. I just wish if there was more to it then someone would let me know, 'cause at the moment I'm a bit puzzled. Paulz, I hear what you're saying about split shifts, haven't heard that before and I do think that's unfair. Wouldn't it be interesting if a company as big as BA was destroyed because of people power, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

[lisaj]

What strikes me is that all the staff examples given by the press have been single mothers bitterly complaining that the card system will somehow infringe on their abilities to look after their children. I simply don't understand how that can be true. I'm open to being educated, but I simply don't get it as yet. I'm more miffed by the recent reports in the Daily Mail (god I hate the paper, but its SO entertaining) that Kensignton & Chelsea dustmen get �40k/yr plus benefits and overtime. Maybe all the single mothers should go and haul rubbish and let some eager unemployed people take over their cushy check-in desks.... the job "don't look that hard to me" and I fly frequently enough to see a pattern.

[paulz]

The split shifts thinghas been doing the rounds for ages at the airport, it was mentioned in yesterday's paper - the Mirror, and BA are now vehemently denying that they plan to bring it in. As for an easy task trust me it's not. Have yuo never watched Airport/Airline and seen the flack they put up withon check-in? Yes I know there are plenty of other jobs just as & more stressfull, but let me assure you it ain't all glamour. As to those of you who work unpaid overtime - why are you doing it? By all means do voluntary unpaid work - say in the community [by the way yes I do] but I think it's a bit unfair to say I work blah hours that I don't get paid for and expect the rest of the world to do the same. I doubt if we'll ever get the full facts of the case tho.

[bazwillrun]

The irony of all this is the little mentioned fact that one of the airline unions that have been at the heart of all this, and so vehemently against this "intrusion of their members rights" have just introduced a similar but far more stringent swipe system at their own offices. their system monitors staff all over the premises, every door they go through, time out for the toilet etc. No doubt this same union will be voting against ID cards !

[skelly]

Paulz, I didn't mean to sound patronising in my last response. It's just that I, like many others have to adapt a bit at work, there has to be a bit of flexability. It's always been a bit like that for me. Maybe thats why I find this dispute a bit difficult to understand. But I wouldn't expect the rest of the world to do as I do. Apparently my salary "reflects the amount of hours that I have to work" (ha!). So strictly speaking I am paid for the extra hours that I put in. But I do believe that everyone owes their employers something. I think that we all owe it to them to be at work on time, work to the best of our capabilities, not skive off, etc, etc. After all, they do pay our wages. ( I wouldn't be surprised if I get a bit of backlash for that response)

[AllYourBase]

They should get to work or go and join the dole line. If they don't like it, get lost! There are enough unemployed people/immigrants/asylum seekers etc coming in to replace them so why should we feel any pity at all? If you don't like it, change job. if it doesn't pay what you need, work harder. Simple!