Is it just me, or is it a tad odd that this letter, pictured right (click to enlarge), came from the same union as the Prime Minister was talking about, reported in this in this article saying:
“It is the wrong time, it is unjustified, it is deplorable, we shouldn't have a strike,” said Mr Brown. “It's not in the company's interest, it's not in the workers' interest and it's certainly not in the national interest.”
I was just wondering you see, because, to my way of thinking it's a bit thick for them to be supporting a government that calls their actions deplorable...
It's like saying, 'what you are doing is wrong, but could you give us more money so that we can get back in and keep our trotters in the trough, although clearly we don't think you should have any better conditions.... or pay.... or job security.... But if you don't give generously, WE won't have job security, and that REALLY matters..... Thank you.
What a bunch of...... Oh, I can't think of a suitable word, but I'm sure you can.
...............
PS> If you are in Unite, and you want to stop supporting a government who feels very disagreeably towards you (deplorable was his word). here is a downloadable form you can fill in.
http://www.ourunion.org.uk/PoliticalFundExemption.pdf
................
Unionists!!
ReplyDeletesee whit ah did there?
ReplyDeleteBritish Airways - the truth
ReplyDeleteUnite cabin crew members at British Airways are now days away from strike action. Much of the media has portrayed the crew as overpaid, underworked and prepared to bring BA down to its knees. Nothing can be further from the truth.
The last thing BA crew want to do is to go on strike. In fact, the crew are preparing to take industrial action as a last resort because they care so much about BA and want the airline to have a future as a premier carrier.
In November 2009, BA imposed changes that cut over 1,000 crew members from flights, cuts that cabin crew believe have been a disaster for the on-board service quality. BA’s European flights have seen 25 per cent reductions in crew numbers and on long-haul flights crew compliments have seen reductions of between 1 and 3.
Unite crew members realise that BA is operating in tough financial conditions. That’s why they offered the airline £62m in savings – the same amount BA has saved by removing cabin crew from flights. Crew were prepared to compromise on crew numbers, take a pay cut, and take cuts in their terms and conditions. But no matter how much the union offered, BA simply refused to accept. Unite believes that all along BA was merely playing lip-service to the negotiating process. We believe that BA has another agenda entirely – smashing the collective voice of cabin crew.
BA’s management is becoming increasingly macho. Under Willie Walsh’s leadership the company has undertaken a range of union busting tactics. Most of the crew’s local union leaders are either suspended or awaiting disciplinaries. A further 30 union members have been suspended on spurious grounds. Staff are living in fear of who could be next. BA has also spent months encouraging other BA staff to help break the strike by training up as cabin crew.
BA has threatened to remove the travel concessions from any crew member who goes on strike – this is a particularly vindictive move when around one third of crew use it to commute to work.
The way forward
ReplyDeleteUnite and its members did not want this strike. But we have been left with no option because management will not listen.
We are, however, ready to resume talks at any time. Crew are prepared to offer compromise and flexibility.
This dispute can only be avoided if BA is prepared to make a serious attempt to finding a negotiated settlement. It could start by putting the offer the airline made last week back on the table so that Unite could give members the right to accept or reject BA's proposal. Unite is prepared to halt the strike while members are consulted and will stand by crew's decision. The ball is clearly in BA's court.
You can help
As usual in industrial disputes, some media and politicians are taking the side of the employer ignoring the genuine concerns of workers. You can help get BA crew’s message to a wider audience by forwarding this email to a friend. Check on Unite’s website to find out the real truth. www.unitetheunion.org/ba
Joint General Secretaries
Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley
BA’s cabin crew save lives
BA frequent flyer Karen Ward believes she owes her life to the skills and professionalism of British Airways cabin crew. Here she tells her story about how she survived a life threatening illness thanks to the intervention of highly experienced cabin crew. Click here.
http://www.youtube.com/user/UniteTheUnion#p/u/0/JCXD57CZCFE
Click here to read Assistant General Secretary Len McCluskey's article in the Guardian newspaper
British Airways - the truth
Unite cabin crew members at British Airways are now days away from strike action. Much of the media has portrayed the crew as overpaid, underworked and prepared to bring BA down to its knees. Nothing can be further from the truth.
The last thing BA crew want to do is to go on strike. In fact, the crew are preparing to take industrial action as a last resort because they care so much about BA and want the airline to have a future as a premier carrier.
In November 2009, BA imposed changes that cut over 1,000 crew members from flights, cuts that cabin crew believe have been a disaster for the on-board service quality. BA’s European flights have seen 25 per cent reductions in crew numbers and on long-haul flights crew compliments have seen reductions of between 1 and 3.
ReplyDeleteUnite crew members realise that BA is operating in tough financial conditions. That’s why they offered the airline £62m in savings – the same amount BA has saved by removing cabin crew from flights. Crew were prepared to compromise on crew numbers, take a pay cut, and take cuts in their terms and conditions. But no matter how much the union offered, BA simply refused to accept. Unite believes that all along BA was merely playing lip-service to the negotiating process. We believe that BA has another agenda entirely – smashing the collective voice of cabin crew.
BA’s management is becoming increasingly macho. Under Willie Walsh’s leadership the company has undertaken a range of union busting tactics. Most of the crew’s local union leaders are either suspended or awaiting disciplinaries. A further 30 union members have been suspended on spurious grounds. Staff are living in fear of who could be next. BA has also spent months encouraging other BA staff to help break the strike by training up as cabin crew.
BA has threatened to remove the travel concessions from any crew member who goes on strike – this is a particularly vindictive move when around one third of crew use it to commute to work.
The way forward
Unite and its members did not want this strike. But we have been left with no option because management will not listen.
We are, however, ready to resume talks at any time. Crew are prepared to offer compromise and flexibility.
This dispute can only be avoided if BA is prepared to make a serious attempt to finding a negotiated settlement. It could start by putting the offer the airline made last week back on the table so that Unite could give members the right to accept or reject BA's proposal. Unite is prepared to halt the strike while members are consulted and will stand by crew's decision. The ball is clearly in BA's court.
You can help
As usual in industrial disputes, some media and politicians are taking the side of the employer ignoring the genuine concerns of workers. You can help get BA crew’s message to a wider audience by forwarding this email to a friend. Check on Unite’s website to find out the real truth. www.unitetheunion.org/ba
Joint General Secretaries
Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley
BA’s cabin crew save lives
BA frequent flyer Karen Ward believes she owes her life to the skills and professionalism of British Airways cabin crew. Here she tells her story about how she survived a life threatening illness thanks to the intervention of highly experienced cabin crew. Click here.
http://www.youtube.com/user/UniteTheUnion#p/u/0/JCXD57CZCFE
Click here to read Assistant General Secretary Len McCluskey's article in the Guardian newspaper
Goodness me Sophia... aren't you a smart cookie... LOL
ReplyDeleteYes Niko. I'm not particularly agreeing or disagreeing with the strike. I have no real problems with people striking when they can't get action any other way. Indeed I'm in agreement with them over this strike. Willie Walsh is a pratt... and a bad one at that.
ReplyDeleteGoing on strike used to be taken far too far... with whole factories going out over tiny matters like the quality of the toilet paper, but I would strike against intransigent management if I had to.
My point is.... given that Unite felt that they could write that letter, how do the members of the union, and the officials of the union feel about the prime minister’s comments about their actions?
EVER HEARD OF SOLIDARITY? no...thought not...
ReplyDeletestupid article. cant you undderstand that the labour party is linked to the working class struggle?! Cant you get it into your thick collective heads that we're the party of keir hardie and the unions? To question this, or to undermine this essential FACT is to attack the entire working class folk...
but then your ALL tartan tories.
Pathetic. dangerous. to be stopped.
end of.
Peter
So Peter...
ReplyDeleteWhy exactly was it that the leader of your party.. you know, the one that is so linked to the working classes (yet has such luminaries as Lord Paul and Baroness Uddin .. and MPs who don't want to stand in the dock of the court with "ordinary people" and demand that they be tried by parliament, unlike your average benefit cheat), thinks that the strike is unjustified and deplorable, whereas I, who you seem to assume am a Tory, think that the strike is a probably a good idea and if it comes to it, will support the strikers.
What a load of blethers you write Peter.
Your foul and insulting comment on NewRight marks you out for what you are.
And as my mother reads this blog, I have no intention of spelling that out.
Labour have never been socalists since John Smith died.
ReplyDeleteTrident.
Iraq.
No more boom and bust.
10p tax rate doubled, 1 million lowest paid workers worse off.
UK pensioners third worst off in Europe, behind even Romania.
75p per week old age pension rise.
Gap between rich and poor increased under Labour.
Unemployment up.
Highest deficit of G20 countries.
All the pretendy socialists like Brown, Alexander etc all got free university education, all voted to introduce student fees.
All the pretedy socialists who were members of CND like Brown etc now vote for Trident.
We have no problem with people being extremely rich Mandelson.
Socalists, you could not make it up.
Your supporting the strikers are you? Yeh sure, you'd better re-read what you wrote there Tris boy,
ReplyDelete"what you are doing is wrong" - is what you wrote, and now you've changed your tune to;
"whereas I, who you seem to assume am a Tory, think that the strike is a probably a good idea and if it comes to it, will support the strikers"
Thats a lie, a lie trying to confuse and confound the working man, the ordinary NORMAL voter. It is disgusting, this makes you a torie, that and your snp-closet tory-party membership.
Oh, and if you've got something to say to me, man up and say it! Enough wit the rubbish about my comments on new-right..I've said bugger all thats wrong, merely fighting against liers like you and yer mate in crime.
Toff and Scoff is what you offer,
Peter
"It's like saying, 'what you are doing is wrong, but could you give us more money so that we can get back in and keep our trotters in the trough, although clearly we don't think you should have any better conditions.... or pay.... or job security.... But if you don't give generously, WE won't have job security, and that REALLY matters..... Thank you."
ReplyDeleteI'm actually finding it quite hard to believe that you don't undertand what I wrote.... Do you see the quotation marks round it Peter?
Try reading the post again and if you still don't understand it, then I'll try to explain.
Peter, I work with unemployed people, I try to help then get jobs, and housing and all manner of other things. I work in a scheme. I'm not taking sides particularly with Unite, because I haven't had the chanve to sit in on negopciations. I've read what the Tory papers have said and I've read the very little that the Labour papers have said, as they don't seem to want to take sides with either Unite or the Labour Party.
Right?
What you said on New Right, to Dean who is ill, with depression was, and I quote:
'Nay wonder your mental, to be a torie your off yer nut.
I would wish you well, but then your the enemy of the people'
What kind of person are you? So much for your socialism. If that's what Labour people are like you can stuff it up your arse.
Now bugger off will you please. I don't much like you.
Aye Dubbieside:
ReplyDeleteThey are the weirdest sociaist party I've ever heard of. When they went to war with Iraq thjeir partners were hard right wing governments in USA, Italy and Spain.
Blair was to the right of Jaques Chirac, the right wing French president....
This lot are just dying to get their fat cat arses on the red benches and have everyone bow and scrape and call them My Lord.
They make you want to spit.
I can't think of a 'suitable' word so I shan't add anything.
ReplyDeleteSR: I certainly wouldn't have expected a lady like yourself to be able to think of a suitable word.... tut tut, dearie me, no.
ReplyDeleteThat was for the likes of Niko.... He probably has a few ideas!
My goodness somebody has been busy with the cutting and pasting feature! A word to the wise though any more than about 500 words and people start to switch off unless it's a racy novel or something even more fictitious like the Labour party manifesto. Is Photoshop not working today? In the mean time wont you join me for a weep?
ReplyDeleteTris's mum, close your ears. Peter that is a load of absolute bollocks. To be honest, when you mentioned Keir Hardy as being associated with New Labour I thought you were being ironical but your further comments show you have fallen hook, line and sinker for Blair and Brown's fabrications. You and your ilk are precisely the reason why the UK is on its knees financially and your prominent members are laughing all the way to the bank whilst the poorest in society will have to pay for their imperialistic ambitions.
ReplyDeleteBrownlie: I can always count on you of a good summation of the situation. Cheers matey.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind him being deluded though. Plenty like that. What I can't stand is someone kicking a bloke when he's down, which is what Peter did to Dean. I really thought that Labour supporters were supposed to have some kind of heart.
Hey Brownlie, my mum won't mind you saying that. She's a fan of yours, and she has no time for people who kick others when what they need is a wee hand up.
Munguin: I actually found Niko's piece informative.... even if I realised that he didn't type it with his own fair hands...
ReplyDeleteI think that you and he should pop off to a wee conrner somewhere and have a bubble about Gordon.
You could start a facebook group.....
@ Brownlie,
ReplyDeleteBollocks? It aint me that wrong here mate its you.
You say that New Labour isnt the party of Kier hardie, what about our record in government?
1. Minimum wage- helping the poor
2. the longest period of econ growth EVER- helping the poor
3. lower rates of child poverty since records began- helping the poor and vulnerable.
Where in any of tht are we hurting the poor or aidintg the rich?
Get real, and take yer slurs elsewhere.
peter
1) Minimum wage doesn't help the poor, most often it prices them out of the market as anyone valued at less than the minimum wage can't get a job. Employer no longer train people, young people can't get a foot on the employment ladder, all thanks to new Labour.
ReplyDelete2) No more boom and bust? Economic growth was a sham, held up by the housing market and ridiculous loans. It's now biting hard, people are losing their houses and jobs. Britain suffered more manufacturing losses in the last 13 years than ever happened under any UK government, they've wrecked the country from top to bottom.
3) Child poverty is up under Labour, even the SWP admit it, as is the gap between the haves and have nots.
Peddle your lies elsewhere Peter, you're fooling no-one here.
Peter,
ReplyDeleteWhere in any of that are we hurting the poor.... not in your selective little lot but you sure as hell made the poor in Iraq even poorer - or homeless or dead.
I am realistic and spent a lot of time working for your lot until the hyprocrisy and cant turned my stomach and those I worked with changed as the party turned further and further to the right and away from the people who voted them into power.
The sad thing is that these voters still believe, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that Labour is still the peoples' party.
Ask the non-doms who save millions in tax by paying a lump sum of £30,000 courtesy of HMG. That would be the equivalent of you and me paying the grand sum of £3 annually to avoid paying tax. Consider that fact and open your eyes, man.
QM: Good comments and quite right too.
ReplyDeleteYeah Brownlie, it's amazing how it is chiselled into their heads. Labour is the party of the working man.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be when my granddad was a boy. It helped folk like my granny; it fought for decency and dignity for people who weren't land owners or business owners. It helped people who had nothing to get something.
It was responsible for moving the UK into the 20th century from the 18th.
Then Blair sold it all out so that he could mix with the big noises in London. Bankers, City men... Labour was business friendly they all said, then worse, Blair started playing in the BIG league. The right wing religious nut case of an American president, and the whole thing was finished...
Labour wouldn’t know a working man if it fell over one in the street.