Cabin Crew Pay Update *2nd NOV*

Awww Frangipan, I'm going to print that and frame it, and remind my husband how wonderful I am!
Would love to help Virgin through this turbulent time, but unfortunately I am so close to giving birth, it will be nigh on impossible!
Denzil, I forgive you! lol! Yes it does round up to about that figure if you take into account allowances, problem is I always get carried away and spend mine!
Not really much I can say on the subject of striking as none of us will know where we stand until the 20th, I just hope that crew see sense and accept the offer which remains on the table. I want to enjoy my Christmas day with a large glass of Baileys, and not sit there worrying about a company I love and any poor, newbies facing redundacies.
Lets keep our fingers crossed eh? My heart of hearts tells me its all gonne be okay! xxx

Not sure (given the 45 pps of this thread) if this has been addressed--but IF VS strike on 27 Dec or new year (and IF BAA strike on 27 Dec)--what is the protocol for pax with bookings? Is it give up and go home or do VS have a plan?

[?] Roadrunner

VS will do everything they can to get you from A-B, that is going to be their number one priority and they have already communicated this to us. However if BAA strike.......I'm really not sure what will happen. Who said unions were good things?

I've been following the Pprune virgin strike thread with interest the last few days.

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=300751&page=8

Interesting that the Union has made some allegations against the company regarding its conduct, but even more so is the company's response letter to Brian Boyd (see post 149).

IMHO it makes the union look pretty silly in all of this....but I do note the absence of a denial about offering CC incentives to break the strike. I think the company comes out of this so much better than the union right now, I just wonder if we'd be in this situation now, if the union had got their story, and claims straight right from the start. Does anyone actually know what CC overall want from this offer? - I certainly don't think the union do. Bizzarely the company seems to know more than they do...


Steve

VS did speak to many of the crew & the problem is that there are different things that people want. True, it would appear that VS have done more to gain an insight into what people want. For some (married with kids), the extra standby (or the fact they now have part-time standby at all) is more important than the money (VS even admit that part time standby is ineffective, but won't do anything about it). Many supervising staff are unhappy about operating crew down, not just because the extra payment is poor, but because they don't want the service to suffer. Flight swapping, this is an excellent system for both the CC & VS, but is not working as promised. General feelings of not being listened to (IFE problems, pax complaints etc). Money, obviously an issue (it is for everybody), general feeling of too little for too long. Heavy handed treatment by management (as an example picking junior crew out to point out the error of industrial action etc).

Before i get blown out of the water, this is not my opinion, just a few points discussed over a beer or two with a few friends. They are all long term CC, who do their utmost for VS & making the passengers flight a good one. For every single flight a passenger has complained about broken IFE, they have reported broken IFE a hundred times. For every time you request another pillow in J, they have written this up in flight reports hundreds of times. Lack of, or poor quality amenity kits are a favourite complaint, one the majority of crew find an embarassment. Meals, well what can we say!!!!

Regardless of the ballot result damage will have been done, let's hope they can all work together to get over this & make Virgin what it set out to be.

Originally posted by roadrunner
Not sure (given the 45 pps of this thread) if this has been addressed--but IF VS strike on 27 Dec or new year (and IF BAA strike on 27 Dec)--what is the protocol for pax with bookings? Is it give up and go home or do VS have a plan?

[?] Roadrunner

Makes you wish that you had booked Silverjet out of LTN.

Denzil,

Just to clarify - the meaning of my post wasn't a dig at cabin crew. In fact I sympathize greatly with your cause.

I was only trying to point out (as you have) that it seems VS have done more to engage the crew than the union has, and I wonder if the union had done this in the first place whether it would have got as far as a strike ballot. Pprune doesn't make good reading for Brian Boyd as it seems (according to the company) VS offered more than he actually requested. It all seems a little disorganised....

I'll reiterate from an earlier post, I'm a real fan of the service Cabin Crew provide, and I hope they get an offer they are happy with. Not a fan of the more militant among them though!

Steve

[Pete]

Interesting post on PPRuNe last night, apparently from the VS intranet

Do I have to take part in the strike action?
No you don't have to take part in strike action and can elect to work. The company will support you coming in to work and may offer incentives for you continuing to work during any strike action period.

So strikers won't be paid for days they are on strike, but those that do not strike may be in line for extra payments. That sounds like it clears up the comments made by Brian Boyd, i.e. 'the Company has been attempting to destabilise this important process by offering Cabin Crew money to 'break the strike'.'

Mr Boyd, methinks, is one for melodrama.

steveb, Not actually CC myself, but have friends/family that are. Just trying to pass on some of the concerns & to reiterate that it's some of the none militant CC that are fed up with general conditions.

I'm with you in hoping for an agreement soon, all this bitchiness isn't doing anybody any good.

If memory serves me correctly the strike ballot closes today (20th December). Anyone have an ideas to when the result will be announced?

-Steve

[Nottingham Nick]

This topic is now locked, following the announcement of the first strike dates.

Please continue to follow this story in this thread.

Nick