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BA Strike Action
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Bruce Wallis
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 5505
- Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 7:35 am
- Location: Wroxham, Norfolk/ Vale de Centiannes
Re: BA Strike Action
I can comment from both sides of this.
In my early days I was a national negotiator for a trades union.....got head hunted.....poacher turned gamekeeper with the ability to approach a dispute from both sides.
I think my real point is that yes management need to be allowed to manage, but there is a massive culpability on the behalf of poor management, as demonstrated by BA, the Post Office, and back in the late 90's, my own industry, ITV.
I played my own part as a Tory politician in the war against Scargill and co in the late 80's......but I never lost sight of the need to manage a workforce as an integral part of a business, not just use them as the easiest target, the whipping boys, in the need to rationalise an ailing business.
I repeat....there has to be a systemic failure of HR in BA to bring things to this pitch. A responsible union will always work with a fair and reasonable employer to enable necessary change.
In my early days I was a national negotiator for a trades union.....got head hunted.....poacher turned gamekeeper with the ability to approach a dispute from both sides.
I think my real point is that yes management need to be allowed to manage, but there is a massive culpability on the behalf of poor management, as demonstrated by BA, the Post Office, and back in the late 90's, my own industry, ITV.
I played my own part as a Tory politician in the war against Scargill and co in the late 80's......but I never lost sight of the need to manage a workforce as an integral part of a business, not just use them as the easiest target, the whipping boys, in the need to rationalise an ailing business.
I repeat....there has to be a systemic failure of HR in BA to bring things to this pitch. A responsible union will always work with a fair and reasonable employer to enable necessary change.
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shanagarry
- CVO Legend
- Posts: 2048
- Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:26 pm
- Location: Craigweil-on-Sea
Re: BA Strike Action
Bruce - that was then - this is totally different ball-game!
The legacy issues that beset Royal Mail and BA have to be moved aside - survival is the name of the game today. For a trade union to cling 'leech-like' to a failing business is tantamount to 'murder' and ends up forcing the business under. There will be plenty of takers should both the afore-mentioned businesses fail - but there won't be many takers for their employees. How can that be in the best interests of the union members?
I believe it is accurate to say that in today's chaotic economic environment, management has a duty of care to ensure a business does not trade while insolvent - BA is 'technically' insolvent and the sooner those (including union officials) living the 'good-life' on the back of inflated salaries realise that - we might see common sense prevail - wishful thinking while we still have Brown & Co bumbling around.
Strong leadership is essential during any crisis - but this one beats all others - and with a Government as weak as the one we have now - we are still in for difficult times for some time to come, something the unions need to face up to. Leading their lemmings into pointless industrial disputes is only going to swell the ranks of the unemployed and deplete the country's cash 'reserves' even more.
The legacy issues that beset Royal Mail and BA have to be moved aside - survival is the name of the game today. For a trade union to cling 'leech-like' to a failing business is tantamount to 'murder' and ends up forcing the business under. There will be plenty of takers should both the afore-mentioned businesses fail - but there won't be many takers for their employees. How can that be in the best interests of the union members?
I believe it is accurate to say that in today's chaotic economic environment, management has a duty of care to ensure a business does not trade while insolvent - BA is 'technically' insolvent and the sooner those (including union officials) living the 'good-life' on the back of inflated salaries realise that - we might see common sense prevail - wishful thinking while we still have Brown & Co bumbling around.
Strong leadership is essential during any crisis - but this one beats all others - and with a Government as weak as the one we have now - we are still in for difficult times for some time to come, something the unions need to face up to. Leading their lemmings into pointless industrial disputes is only going to swell the ranks of the unemployed and deplete the country's cash 'reserves' even more.