British Airways Ask Staff to Work One Month for NO PAY

[neonlyte]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8102862.stm

Apparently, this kind of appeal has effect. I'm not sure I'd want to fly on a plane where the staff were working for free. Management, I feel, would be better served making the business viable rather than monitoring who's a freebee employee and who needed to pay the mortgage. The business model is wrong... get it sorted, management, that's why you earn the big bucks.

 

[rgraham666]

No, they earn the big bucks simply for existing. The world rewards them for living amongst us mere mortals.

 

[jomar]

Lots of airlines are cutting back on flights to trim costs.

As for BA - unpaid leave or unpaid work. Hmm. That's likely to have some unintended consequences among the staff.

 

[lloyd_5]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8102862.stm

Apparently, this kind of appeal has effect. I'm not sure I'd want to fly on a plane where the staff were working for free. Management, I feel, would be better served making the business viable rather than monitoring who's a freebee employee and who needed to pay the mortgage. The business model is wrong... get it sorted, management, that's why you earn the big bucks.

British Airways pays its cabin crew twice as much as Virgin

full text :
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6466748.ece

neon, read this and the original story sounds different. Sounds as if BA has got into the same mess as the US auto industry with uncompetitive salary/benefits packages.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

A month's free labor wont save them. The bitch of it is, the 'free' labor still has tax and benefit liabilities.

 

[TE999]

Another example of when you eliminate the profit motive, motivation flies out the window (pun intended).

 

[silverwhisper]

they pay double what their biggest competitor pays?! either the union representative is particularly good, or management's negotiator sucks.

BA doesn't state in the original article what the consequences are. while it's clear that the alternative for BA is firing a lot of employees, some sense of how many would have been rather helpful--and would likely help achieve employee buy-in. it's good to see that walsh is putting his own wallet where his mouth is.

ed

 

[rgraham666]

Another example of when you eliminate the profit motive, motivation flies out the window (pun intended).

Unless you're an employee in which case you should be happy to be working at all. After all it's not like they do anything important.

 

[CharleyH]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8102862.stm

Apparently, this kind of appeal has effect. I'm not sure I'd want to fly on a plane where the staff were working for free. Management, I feel, would be better served making the business viable rather than monitoring who's a freebee employee and who needed to pay the mortgage. The business model is wrong... get it sorted, management, that's why you earn the big bucks.

Apparently, you have never flown with Ryan Air.

 

[neonlyte]

Apparently, you have never flown with Ryan Air.

But at least you THINK you know exactly what you're getting with Ryanair. I love their £1.00 flights with the £35 landing fee, £10 baggage fee, £5 check in fee, and £5 each leg for using Visa. If you turn up at the airport without a self printed boarding card, it now costs an extra £70 to take the flight. I.E. £1 = £121 if you forget your boarding pass

Now that's a business model that relies upon idiots... sorry, customers.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

But at least you THINK you know exactly what you're getting with Ryanair. I love their £1.00 flights with the £35 landing fee, £10 baggage fee, £5 check in fee, and £5 each leg for using Visa. If you turn up at the airport without a self printed boarding card, it now costs an extra £70 to take the flight. I.E. £1 = £121 if you forget your boarding pass

Now that's a business model that relies upon idiots... sorry, customers.

And you better pack yourself a little lunch, because if you get hungry on board, you know it's going to cost you another £20 for a small sandwich and the tiniest can of soda you have ever seen.

 

[Elianna]

And you better pack yourself a little lunch, because if you get hungry on board, you know it's going to cost you another £20 for a small sandwich and the tiniest can of soda you have ever seen.

Ah, but you have to buy it in the airport once you pass security. Thus... no savings. Just had a very similar experience with U.S. Airways. God. Why won't they let me smuggle my own boos on the plane!!!!

I think lots of people are doing stuff like that. I am. I work two days a month next year at a job that is NOT my job. That approximates to a month of unpaid labor. On top of that, my job currently takes 60 hours a week. That's hours I'm not getting my job done so I'll have to put MORE hours in unpaid to make up for doing the other stuff for free. And you know what I'm thinking...

THANK GOD I HAVE A JOB!