BA asks staff to work for nothing

[wayneg]

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8102862.stm

Hopefully they will turn it around.

 

[Cyrano]

Hopefully this will get the support of all managers following the Chief Executives lead

 

[cazzie]

Just what I needed to hear, I have booked my flights with them for September.

 

[wayneg]

Short term I doubt it will make much difference to operations but then I can see route cuts and BA looking for other savings.
Hopefully they will get back to making a profit.

 

[SimonV]

I'm sure Willie Walsh can afford to work for nothing for a while - knowing he will get a nice fat "performance-related" bonus at the end of the year. The majority of cabin crew still need to pay their bills on a monthly basis, though, so that is a pretty rotten thing to stick on them. I can't imagine there will be a rush to help out when there are already cut-backs on a lot of their hours. BA needs to think up something better than penalising their staff yet again.

 

[anthony2k7]

Short term I doubt it will make much difference to operations.

it'll certainly have a big impact on staff morale though and there for the level of service you get from them.

 

[gemmybear83]

I read Willie Walsh is giving up a month's salary - 65k

 

[Grumpy John]

I'm sure Willie Walsh can afford to work for nothing for a while - knowing he will get a nice fat "performance-related" bonus at the end of the year. The majority of cabin crew still need to pay their bills on a monthly basis, though, so that is a pretty rotten thing to stick on them. I can't imagine there will be a rush to help out when there are already cut-backs on a lot of their hours. BA needs to think up something better than penalising their staff yet again.

Many companies throughout the UK are doing the same thing, time off or no pay rise this year. So why shouldnt BA come up with something similiar. BA cannot keep making the huge losses it is currently making. Next will be route cuts and then staff cuts. Merging with AA will make no difference surely. And would AA want to merge with a carrier that is in so much financial trouble

 

[wifey]

OMG it's not acceptable to ask people to work for free They still have bills and stuff to pay too. I'm thinking that it may come under the term "enforced labour" or something, if they wanted to do volunteer work they'd already be doing it surely. I hope they have good union backup on this one. It does not look good

 

[UKDEB]

Hopefully this will get the support of all managers following the Chief Executives lead

When you're on £61K a month, that just leaves you with £61K less to invest. Tell me he's forgoing a year's salary and then he might earn my respect (and more critically that of his staff).

 

[VailaTigger]

The staff who volunteer won't lose their money in a big chunk, the article says they'll take the cut over 3 or 6 months... Still difficult to budget for when you have bills to pay, and the bills keep going up!

I know the company I work for only gave a minimum pay rise this year (nothing performance related at all), and it was only for those earning less than 30k a year (which is probably most of us! )

It would be a shame to see BA go, hope they can pull it together...

 

[brer_rabbit]

Hope they can turn things around - they're the only airline that flies direct to Tampa from the UK!

 

[Twilight Terror]

Actually, having worked for Woolworths, I know what I would choose to do if the choice is continue working at full pay and then get sacked in a month or two because they cannot afford to keep you, or work a week or two unpaid, but still have a job at the end for the next year or so. It's better to have one or two weeks unpaid than lose your job altogether, and if this prevents them from having to sack a shed load of people, then good. I would have rather worked a few weeks unpaid and saved our Woolworths

 

[islandmum]

people in our industry, and indeed some in our company, have been told to take 1 and 2 months unpaid leave on top of the working week being cut from 6 to 5 days a week.

Everyone who was asked has accepted as its better to have a job than nothing at all. These measures have been put in place to ensure continuation of the business through this mad economic downturn.

Would you rather be laid off or the company go bust?? personally if we are put in the situation we will also be accepting the pay cut.

The unions could end up torpedoeing BA if this continues - and then watch them winge about their members being out of work.

It sucks - but at least they've still got their jobs, I'm sure theres thousands who would do anything to trade places.

 

[natalielongstaff]

I would have rather worked a few weeks unpaid and saved our Woolworths

 

[Neoshoegal]

At a rate of more than £60K/month, I know where I'd be looking to make cut backs.
£60K a month is bloody huge wage, even half of that would still be a bloody huge wage. But it would save BA £360K a year, not insignificant.

I agree, tough times and everybody has to make sacrifices. DH had a choice of reduced hours (actually going to half his hours, meaning about half the income he normally gets) or his company would have to close. And that has been going on since last November and no end in sight yet.

 

[Annabell]

How big is the chance that BA will go bankrupt eventually ??
Or do I worry too much.....???
I am thinking to book with them for next April...
is this wise ?? or maybe I better wait and see... or better book
with someone else....

Actually, I won't believe that such a big airline will "disappear" but
you never know.... so it really makes me uncomfortable to book
with them so much in advance......
so ....these kind of negatives news just wouldn't help an airline
survive......

 

[Neoshoegal]

How big is the chance that BA will go bankrupt eventually ??
Or do I worry too much.....???
I am thinking to book with them for next April...
is this wise ?? or maybe I better wait and see... or better book
with someone else....

Actually, I won't believe that such a big airline will "disappear" but
you never know.... so it really makes me uncomfortable to book
with them so much in advance......
so ....these kind of negatives news just wouldn't help an airline
survive......

Not that quickly. BA is very much a British institution and I would imagine plenty of government bail outs/rescue loans before it goes under.

 

[wayneg]

How big is the chance that BA will go bankrupt eventually ??
Or do I worry too much.....???
I am thinking to book with them for next April...
is this wise ?? or maybe I better wait and see... or better book
with someone else....

Actually, I won't believe that such a big airline will "disappear" but
you never know.... so it really makes me uncomfortable to book
with them so much in advance......
so ....these kind of negatives news just wouldn't help an airline
survive......

If you don't use BA then who?
As safe as any airline IMO, who knows who will be next to go but I would book with them still. There would be a rescue package or a merger I think rather than cease flying.
I agree negative news on companies doesn't help their problems but if it was swept under the carpet and not reported there would be uproar if they suddenly stopped flying. They can't win

 

[Twilight Terror]

Not that quickly. BA is very much a British institution and I would imagine plenty of government bail outs/rescue loans before it goes under.

What, like Woolworths? Unfortunately, you never know what's going to happen in the future. Having read the article for RRR, I watched the news video on there, and it said Six Flags has filed for Bankruptcy, so you never know!

But you should check your insurance. Some companies offer coverage for if an airline goes bust, so if you have that, then that's about as safe as you can get. Besides, if they can just get through the recession, things will be good again.