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Coronavirus

Some British Airways staff who have accepted voluntary redundancy say they had felt "forced" into it.

BA wants to cut 12,000 job roles and says 6,000 staff have volunteered.

Carol - not her real name - said BA had told her if she did not accept the offer of voluntary redundancy she would have to apply for a job and if she did not get it she would only receive a statutory redundancy payout.

She says the airline's conduct was "a slap in the face".

Carol, who had worked for BA for 23 years, told the BBC: "They [BA] said 'If you don't take the offer, you'll go into the fire-and-rehire phase', but if we aren't hired, we'll get only statutory redundancy."

Those BA cabin crew who did reapply for their jobs on a new contract are expected to find out later on Friday whether or not they lose their jobs.

Carol, who worked on the long-haul fleet, said it was a foregone conclusion that the airline would not re-hire older cabin crew members.

"Even before I had accepted the voluntary redundancy offer, I had a message on my roster from BA: 'Thank you for your service. Good luck'. That is all I got from them after 23 years.

"It's a slap in the face, but it shows they knew who they were getting rid of," she said. She says she will be forced to sell her home since her redundancy payment won't cover her mortgage.

"It's actually age discrimination, we were forced out."

Erica - again, not her real name - had been with British Airways long enough to remember being cabin crew on a Concorde jet, but accepted voluntary redundancy after seeing the brand airline turn into a "toxic work environment".

"The way they dealt with this was so underhand," she said.

"Yes coronavirus has had a terrible impact on the industry, but these are permanent pay cuts to what is a temporary problem. But this is a restructure that BA has wanted for a long time".

Most of those who are offered a new contract will suffer steep pay cuts, changes to their terms and conditions, and reduced allowances which top up their base salaries.

Other workers such as engineers, ground crew and office staff are also expected to hear whether they have a future at the airline over the coming days.

British Airways says more than 6,000 staff across the business have applied for voluntary redundancy and "refutes claims that our colleagues were pressured".

The airline has begun culling employee positions as part of a major cost-cutting drive, which it insists is vital to ensure its long-term survival.

But the way in which it has done so has provoked deep resentment among a large proportion of its workforce - and threats of industrial action.

'Absolutely gutted'

"I'm looking at losing 50% of my take-home pay," says Vicky - a cabin crew member who works in BA's long-haul fleet.

"I'm a single mother. I can't afford to have half of my pay taken away from
Although she lives in the north east, she was among hundreds of staff who travelled to BA's headquarters near Heathrow earlier this week, to vent their anger at the company's management.

"It's the most stressful time I've ever been through," she says. "I feel absolutely gutted."
me".

Vicky - not her real name - is in her mid-thirties. She has been with the company for more than 15 years.

British Airways, like other airlines, has suffered deeply from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In the three months to the end of June it lost more than £700m.

For weeks, at the height of the lockdown, the bulk of its fleet was grounded, and it was unable to operate more than a handful of planes each day.

The company does not expect the aviation industry to recover fully until at least 2023.


BA staff need to ask the union what they have actually done.

the union refused to talk to BA who invited them to talks over 150 times whilst advising staff not to sign anything or talk to BA.

BALPA (pilots unions) acted like adults and discussed new deals - which then after refusing to talk to BA Unite jumped on when it was too late.

I know a lot of crew who are more than happy with the changes (and ignored the union and signed a new deal) as the ones that are making most the noise are crew on 100k a year

This mess is 100 percent down to the union being completely unrealistic
 
What longer than chronic heart, or lung damage? Right from the beginning of this, there have been people usually the rich, down playing this down, saying "oh it's just like the flu get out to work and earn me some money." all the while they and their loved ones were nicely sheltered from the virus. What would I do? Masks, should be mandatory. No opening of any mass entertainment, cinemas, theaters or sport. I would maintain regional lock downs for hot spots.

saying it’s usually the rich that are saying it’s just a flu and get back to work is like me saying it’s just the work shy benefit/furlough claimers enjoying the sun that are refusing to go back.

how would you pay for all of the additional lockdowns you mention?

we are broke
 
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My local news finally running the odd story about illegal migrants coming ashore in the uk. Not sure how your meant to be able to track people when you dont even know who is coming into the country.

But we are not allowed to talk about that because it's racist.

Dont understand the navy saying they cant get involved in political matters. Seems it is a clear threat to our security not knowing who is coming in. Guess we can put the navy on the list of far liberal organisations in this country.
Round them up and send the fudgers back, simple
 
But if we do the establishment shut you down as racist. It's almost like they have an underlying motive to try and shut down the debate.

Serious question. And like i have said I like you so i hope you take it in the way that it is intended... ie as a genuine question. But if the most popular press in the country are not part of the establishment and the tory Party (hostile environment) is not part of the establishment, then who is?
 
Serious question. And like i have said I like you so i hope you take it in the way that it is intended... ie as a genuine question. But if the most popular press in the country are not part of the establishment and the tory Party (hostile environment) is not part of the establishment, then who is?

The bbc is the establishment.


Needs abolishing as soon as possible.
 
The bbc is the establishment.


Needs abolishing as soon as possible.

I know this is a simplistic arguement. But the right and the left hate the BBC in equal measure... believe me or not I got in to a similar debate with left wing corbynites on facebook who also wants the BBC abolished because they are too right wing.

The BBC are not perfect they obviously have editorial bias, but in a world where true journalism is being defunded at an alarming scale... establishments like them are absolutely essential.
 
Can’t the brexit racists keep their chat to another more relevant thread? BLM is quiet these days.

Point in proof right there.

Also my point was about having people come into the country that we dont know about and regarding the coronavirus. Read my post a few up.

Australia where i believe you live are far stricter on people entering the country either through airports or illegally in boats.

Illegal immigration though small in the grand scheme of things will have an impact on the spread of coronavirus.

The government who have been very lax in their response should be tracking all people coming into the country the same as the aussies do.

Your blanket calling of people being racist means you are still not capable of grown up debate and just goes to prove the point i was making, so thank you.
 
Point in proof right there.

Also my point was about having people come into the country that we dont know about and regarding the coronavirus. Read my post a few up.

Australia where i believe you live are far stricter on people entering the country either through airports or illegally in boats.

Illegal immigration though small in the grand scheme of things will have an impact on the spread of coronavirus.

The government who have been very lax in their response should be tracking all people coming into the country the same as the aussies do.

Your blanket calling of people being racist means you are still not capable of grown up debate and just goes to prove the point i was making, so thank you.

Point accepted about the blanket racist comment. I fundamentally disagree with how the Abbott government started sending boats back from Australia. In fact holding Australia as best practice for immigration is like congratulating Trump on his covid stance.

If you think the UK governments response to boats coming across the channel is worthy of praise when they’ve dropped every ball thrown their way, its like saying “at least we scored” against Bayern that night they smashed us under Poch.

Why is someone on a boat any more risk in covid terms than a family of chavs returning from Spain?
 
Point accepted about the blanket racist comment. I fundamentally disagree with how the Abbott government started sending boats back from Australia. In fact holding Australia as best practice for immigration is like congratulating Trump on his covid stance.

If you think the UK governments response to boats coming across the channel is worthy of praise when they’ve dropped every ball thrown their way, its like saying “at least we scored” against Bayern that night they smashed us under Poch.

Why is someone on a boat any more risk in covid terms than a family of chavs returning from Spain?

I dont think anything this government has done this calendar year is worty of praise. I can let them off the hook for being slow to react due to it being unprecedented.

But from the decision to let Cheltenham go ahead they have got everything pretty much wrong.

We should be controlling our borders, i doubt much coronavirus will get in that way with illegal immigration but some will. We should be taking every aspect of life and society seriously to stop the spread.

On asylum seekers, about the only good idea Cameron had was to go to aid camps around the world and take people directly from there. Allowing mass illegal immigration to go unfettered puts those poor unfortunates at even greater risk.

Also if they have not claimed asylum in the first safe country they get to it is clear whether the liberals like it or not they are economic migrants not asylum seekers.
 
Forgot to add regarding chavs and spain, i would not be allowing any air travel except for essential travel. Much like the aussies.

The only difference with the chavs and Spain is that if the government have finally got there act together we can actually track that family when they get back to the UK.
 
I know this is a simplistic arguement. But the right and the left hate the BBC in equal measure... believe me or not I got in to a similar debate with left wing corbynites on facebook who also wants the BBC abolished because they are too right wing.

The BBC are not perfect they obviously have editorial bias, but in a world where true journalism is being defunded at an alarming scale... establishments like them are absolutely essential.

It is the same tactic racists were using in the early 2000s pretend to have a black friend then say something racist but deny it because they have a black friend.

The BBC even according to quite a few recent leavers has an over the top liberal mandate created by leftish liberal top brass.

John Humphreys recent account of what went on there was very revealing. The was even a few years ago and it may seem seem a basic investigate tool but a look into workers of the bbc Facebook accounts and of the ones that were public something like 90% said they were of liberal political views.

The is the situation that to try and make the BBC look impartial those on the left criticise it to make it seems like the BBC goes after them.

If the bbc was ever under any real threat you would have a few old tories who still believe in the empire and so called soft power try and defend it but every liberal luvie in the country would be out marching down the mall to defend it.
 
A few people in a dinghy is not an invasion you bellends. Desperate people whose countries we have no doubt been complicit in destabilising needing somewhere safe and prosperous to live shouldn't frighten you. clams.

amazing how those that use the term “snowflake” the most are the biggest snowflakes

triggered over some boats.

wait till they find out once we leave the EU France have no reason to help
 
Forgot to add regarding chavs and spain, i would not be allowing any air travel except for essential travel. Much like the aussies.

The only difference with the chavs and Spain is that if the government have finally got there act together we can actually track that family when they get back to the UK.

you realise we are an island?

We need aviation or we are screwed, what you are suggesting will see a number of airlines fold.

and no, another won’t take its place.

look at Gatwick

Australia have just delayed what the rest of the world went through, as has New Zealand.

the damage we are doing to jobs in this country has to stop.
 
A few people in a dinghy is not an invasion you bellends. Desperate people whose countries we have no doubt been complicit in destabilising needing somewhere safe and prosperous to live shouldn't frighten you. clams.

Here's a decent thread on refugees.


And the MSM is the Mail and the Sun and they are the ones who are telling you how to think on this. The BBC have given tossers like Farage a platform for years also. The whole we can't talk about immigration is the biggest load of bollox ever spoken. It is all we talk about on this island of ours.
I think we should do a poll on whom on GG reads the mail or sun? I'm sure you were generalising but id personally find it an insult to suggest I use the Sun or Mail as my think tank.

On the other point. Is France not safe and prosperous? Why are they keen to make the leap across the channel? (I seriously don't know)
 
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