Dear GMB Member,
Nothing has changed
Imagine you are walking down the street. A man points a gun at you and hands you a note saying: ‘Give me all your money’. You refuse. He then hands you another note saying ‘Give all me your money. Please’.
The language may be more polite, but the demand is still unreasonable and the gun is still pointing at your head. Nothing has changed.
Letter from Alex
That is how we feel about the latest letter from Alex Cruz. The language may have changed, but the threats – of outsourcing, of ‘fire and rehire’, of redundancy on statutory minimum terms – still remain.
There is no acknowledgement of the perfectly legitimate concerns we have raised about conducting a meaningful consultation under current conditions. There is no offer even to pause, let along withdraw, the proposals or to use the extension of the JRS scheme as a means to get round the table with the unions..
In short, nothing has changed
Damaging the Brand
Instead of making a genuine offer of reconciliation Alex goes on to say that the actions of the unions are endangering the BA brand, with the potential impact on our jobs.
The BA and IAG leadership need to take accountability for the impact their actions are having on on the image of our company. It should be obvious to anyone who has seen the reactions – of politicians, the media and the publilc – that how a company treats its people is an essential part of the brand, particularly one that trades on high quality customer service.
And the implication that we somehow do not care about our members’ livelihoods is utterly disingenuous, particularly when BA are threatening to remove the safety nets – like enhanced VR or the Career Transition Service – that might soften the blow of redundancy.
Not giving up
However we are determined to find a way through this and enable us to engage constructively with the company. We are actively meeting with Members of Parliament who have pledged their support .Over the next few days they have committed to write to BA urging them to step back from the brink. As a Trade Union we will also be writing again to BA, giving them yet another opportunity to show they are listening.
We want to work with the company to find a temporary solution to a temporary problem as we have done successfully many times in the past. British Airways need to rescind the Section 188 letters so that we can sit down and talk without that gun being held to our heads .
In the meantime please continue to support the unions and follow the advice of your GMB reps and Officers
Take care, Stay strong,
Nadine Houghton
GMB National Officer