Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Nickbat on 03 August 2010, 23:02:10
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I stumbled across an interesting titbit on my wander round the web.
Looking after members interests is laudable, but this sort of union attitude surely belongs in the 1970s.
From BASSA (cabin crew union at British Airways):
It has been brought to our attention that crew are being asked to close all the window blinds at the end of each flight. This has not been agreed with BASSA and no safe working practice has been trialled. The normal practice when anything new is introduced is that the Health, Safety and Welfare committee would carry out a risk assessment to confirm that everything is safe.
Please note that no provision has been put in place for this extra duty and therefore you should not be carrying it out. If we do this it will become normal working practice and you will then become obliged to do it and then what next - pick up all the litter?
Please politely refuse if you are asked to do this at the end of your flight.
They want a Health & Safety committee to look into the issue of closing blinds? :o :o :o
No wonder BA has problems dealing with these people. ::) ::) ::)
http://www.pprune.org/5845136-post1653.html
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Good point, badly put IMO.
This is nothing to do with the Unions, but more to do with daft H&S bull-crap.
If people were left to use their own common sense rather than have to refer to, sign, and get countersigned a risk assessment before any job, the world (or at least this country) would run a lot smoother.
IMO, H&S can go to hell.
Scenario: I recently worked at Airbus - Filton, Bristol. I had to use a Scissor lift, as Ladders are banned. I was fixing a damaged Vertical Lift Sectional Door. The problem was approximately 3 metres high.
Before I was 'allowed' to use the scissor lift, I had to wear a full arrest harness, with a 4 metre arrest cord.
Yep, I'd have hit the floor before the harness did it's job, but hey.... it's for safety right?
This is not an isolated case in my experience.
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I've seen flight attendants closing these blinds many times before - they did so with great competence and without injury I'm pleased to say. 8-) :y
So what's the problem now, are the blinds of a different design? :o
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I was fixing a damaged Vertical Lift Sectional Door. The problem was approximately 3 metres high.
Before I was 'allowed' to use the scissor lift, I had to wear a full arrest harness, with a 4 metre arrest cord.
;D ;D ;D Peerless ;D :y
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Looking after members interests is laudable, but this sort of union attitude surely belongs in the 1970s.
Sounds more of a case of good old British management incompetence again Nick ;)
They want a Health & Safety committee to look into the issue of closing blinds? :o :o :o
Only because "The normal practice when anything new is introduced..." the proper procedure has not been adhered to. You can't agree to something then blatantly ignore it even if it is only closing the blinds.
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Looking after members interests is laudable, but this sort of union attitude surely belongs in the 1970s.
Sounds more of a case of good old British management incompetence again Nick ;)
They want a Health & Safety committee to look into the issue of closing blinds? :o :o :o
Only because "The normal practice when anything new is introduced..." the proper procedure has not been adhered to. You can't agree to something then blatantly ignore it even if it is only closing the blinds.
No, it's all in the mind of BASSA from what I see. Apparently crews of other airlines happily comply.
Do you really think that something as a direction to close blinds requires "proper procedure"? Six months of negotiation while passengers sweat. Yeah, that'd be right. ::) ::)
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several issues here. not least why close the blinds in the first place, surely not to stop mrs miggings from number 33 from looking in... :-/
also if the blinds are that dangerous then why are they fitted? imagine what would happen if a passenger injured themselves opening one after the crew had dangerously closed it. :-/
actually nothing would happen because passengers aren't 'represented' by a biggoted, self focussed union.
the only reason unite make such a fuss when ba look to make people redundant or cut back some of the staff perks is pure and simple greed. >:(
say each member pays £8 per month. ba wants to cut 3000 posts. the union would instanly lose £24,000 per month. say ba then want another 6000 people to take a pay cut. of those 6000, say half would seriously consider how they spend their cash,meaning a further possible loss to the union of another £24,000 per month.
suddenly there are 48,000 pounds sorry reasons why the unions want people to keep battling ba. >:(
rant over. seen several people lose their jobs over the years as a direct result of the tgwu and later unite forcing smaller firms to make poor descisions that have driven them to the wall. and all in the name of employees rights. :-/
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Call me naive if you like but if someone pays me a (not inconsiderable) salary it buys them the right to control my activities at work within reason. That's life. If you don't like that, don't take the money.
Now, if I were asked to do something I considered an outrageous change to my conditions of employment or against my moral fibre I might be glad of a union to represent my views but closing a couple of blinds without a risk assessment? Please! ::)
The problem is BA and the unions are at war. One which will probably not end until both parties are rendered history by their pathetic antics.
Kevin
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hmmm, there is a culture in BA of bullying and intimidating, also missinformation is prevalent....as usual I'll take the word of an anonymous blogger with the usual bucket of salt I reserve for such an occasion :y
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hmmm, there is a culture in BA of bullying and intimidating, also missinformation is prevalent....as usual I'll take the word of an anonymous blogger with the usual bucket of salt I reserve for such an occasion :y
You work for BA do you, BJ? Didn't know that. ::) ::)
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hmmm, there is a culture in BA of bullying and intimidating, also missinformation is prevalent....as usual I'll take the word of an anonymous blogger with the usual bucket of salt I reserve for such an occasion :y
You work for BA do you, BJ? Didn't know that. ::) ::)
aaah - so I have to work for BA to have an opinion you don't share......... ;D :y
I am, however, a BA customer and also happen to be related to someone who uses BA at least twice a week - this company is in danger of being dragged down to the level of a cheap carrier because all that matters to management is cost, not reputation - they obviously know little about why people pay more to fly BA :(
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hmmm, there is a culture in BA of bullying and intimidating, also missinformation is prevalent....as usual I'll take the word of an anonymous blogger with the usual bucket of salt I reserve for such an occasion :y
You work for BA do you, BJ? Didn't know that. ::) ::)
aaah - so I have to work for BA to have an opinion you don't share......... ;D :y
I am, however, a BA customer and also happen to be related to someone who uses BA at least twice a week - this company is in danger of being dragged down to the level of a cheap carrier because all that matters to management is cost, not reputation - they obviously know little about why people pay more to fly BA :(
The allegations of management bullying and intimidation can only be rightfully made with evidence and such evidence can only come from within the company...not from knowing someone who flies BA sometimes. ::)
If you read the messages on the forum to which I linked you will soon realise that the majority opinion is against BASSA and, furthermore, you only need to read the posts and the industry terminology* contained therein, to realise that most of the posters are BA staff.
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hmmm, there is a culture in BA of bullying and intimidating, also missinformation is prevalent....as usual I'll take the word of an anonymous blogger with the usual bucket of salt I reserve for such an occasion :y
You work for BA do you, BJ? Didn't know that. ::) ::)
aaah - so I have to work for BA to have an opinion you don't share......... ;D :y
I am, however, a BA customer and also happen to be related to someone who uses BA at least twice a week - this company is in danger of being dragged down to the level of a cheap carrier because all that matters to management is cost, not reputation - they obviously know little about why people pay more to fly BA :(
The allegations of management bullying and intimidation can only be rightfully made with evidence and such evidence can only come from within the company...not from knowing someone who flies BA sometimes. ::)
If you read the messages on the forum to which I linked you will soon realise that the majority opinion is against BASSA and, furthermore, you only need to read the posts and the industry terminology* contained therein, to realise that most of the posters are BA staff.
so there! ;D
you folded your arms and stuck out your tongue at the end of that post didn't you :y
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hmmm, there is a culture in BA of bullying and intimidating, also missinformation is prevalent....as usual I'll take the word of an anonymous blogger with the usual bucket of salt I reserve for such an occasion :y
You work for BA do you, BJ? Didn't know that. ::) ::)
aaah - so I have to work for BA to have an opinion you don't share......... ;D :y
I am, however, a BA customer and also happen to be related to someone who uses BA at least twice a week - this company is in danger of being dragged down to the level of a cheap carrier because all that matters to management is cost, not reputation - they obviously know little about why people pay more to fly BA :(
The allegations of management bullying and intimidation can only be rightfully made with evidence and such evidence can only come from within the company...not from knowing someone who flies BA sometimes. ::)
If you read the messages on the forum to which I linked you will soon realise that the majority opinion is against BASSA and, furthermore, you only need to read the posts and the industry terminology* contained therein, to realise that most of the posters are BA staff.
so there! ;D
you folded your arms and stuck out your tongue at the end of that post didn't you :y
Nice try BJ, but no cigar I'm afraid to say [smiley=thumbdown.gif] [smiley=thumbdown.gif]
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hmmm, there is a culture in BA of bullying and intimidating, also missinformation is prevalent....as usual I'll take the word of an anonymous blogger with the usual bucket of salt I reserve for such an occasion :y
bullying and intimidating,
...and certain elements of the union are not :-? :-?
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on the face of it this certainly seems an example of jobsworthyness but I guess it is also a result of a fear of HASAW legislation as well as probably fear of the company adding other tasks to the jobrole. These days so much is down to "intelligent labour planning" (time and motion to us oldies) systems with so many tasks being allocated x amount of time that even the closing of blinds may be seen as a kind of start of a "slippery slope" if not agreed to and accounted for within the jobrole. As for the discussion around trade unions tthemselves , I recently became a shopsteward at work. I too remember the 70s and the grave problems the Unions caused/ "closed shops" etc and I totally agree that their power then needed to be curtailed. At the end of the day its the companies that create the jobs for their workers and most companies biggest cost centre is its wage bill but at the same time, most companies biggest asset is its workforce. The simple truth is that they need each other. The problems come when finances get tight and then unions can become vital in protecting empolyees , ensuring that they are dealt with fairly and legally. There is quite a bit of apathy out there still re joining unions but that is really because so many people simply take forgranted today all those rights that unions fought so hard for over the years. Do people honestly think that the majority of employers would give them the pay and benefits they currently have unless they had to? A senior manager once told me that a union was like the companies conscience, maybe thats not too bad a description.
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on the face of it this certainly seems an example of jobsworthyness but I guess it is also a result of a fear of HASAW legislation as well as probably fear of the company adding other tasks to the jobrole. These days so much is down to "intelligent labour planning" (time and motion to us oldies) systems with so many tasks being allocated x amount of time that even the closing of blinds may be seen as a kind of start of a "slippery slope" if not agreed to and accounted for within the jobrole. As for the discussion around trade unions tthemselves , I recently became a shopsteward at work. I too remember the 70s and the grave problems the Unions caused/ "closed shops" etc and I totally agree that their power then needed to be curtailed. At the end of the day its the companies that create the jobs for their workers and most companies biggest cost centre is its wage bill but at the same time, most companies biggest asset is its workforce. The simple truth is that they need each other. The problems come when finances get tight and then unions can become vital in protecting empolyees , ensuring that they are dealt with fairly and legally. There is quite a bit of apathy out there still re joining unions but that is really because so many people simply take forgranted today all those rights that unions fought so hard for over the years. Do people honestly think that the majority of employers would give them the pay and benefits they currently have unless they had to? A senior manager once told me that a union was like the companies conscience, maybe thats not too bad a description.
The problems come when finances get tight and then unions can become vital in protecting empolyees , ensuring that they are dealt with fairly and legally. There is quite a bit of apathy out there still re joining unions but that is really because so many people simply take forgranted today all those rights that unions fought so hard for over the years. Do people honestly think that the majority of employers would give them the pay and benefits they currently have unless they had to?
I think that's a very fair comment Jerry - I don't see a problem with responsible union membership but what we're about to see in the coming months could well backfire on various elements within the Trades Union group as a whole.
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Apparently crews of other airlines happily comply.
Perhaps their employers introduced this working practice in the correct way ;)
Do you really think that something as a direction to close blinds requires "proper procedure"?
Yes I do because it is a change in their working practice, however menial it is.
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Apparently crews of other airlines happily comply.
Perhaps their employers introduced this working practice in the correct way ;)
Do you really think that something as a direction to close blinds requires "proper procedure"?
Yes I do because it is a change in their working practice, however menial it is.
Yes I do because it is a change in their working practice, however menial it is.
That sort of attention to detail has me thinking of situations like this and how British industry was almost crippled by such excess. :(
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a9OAvqyjn0[/media]
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Ah Zulu, a "im alright jack", a classic :y