UPPERDECKFAN From Spain, joined Jun 2007, 992 posts, RR: 1 Posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 2838 times:
Heard this morning over a local radio station that most of BA ops in MAD & BCN are canceled due to a strike. I went to www.ba.com but couldn't find any info,
DigbyDude From Spain, joined Feb 2007, 22 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 2816 times:
I was at MAD last night for 3 hours as the 461 was cancelled and they were having a lot of problems getting me on a flight to LHR today due to the strike.
No mention of any strike on BA's site, but the first flight (455) seems to have left on time.
DigbyDude From Spain, joined Feb 2007, 22 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 2727 times:
The BA staff at MAD told me last night that they were striking from today the 25th - Friday. Something to do with BA merging their staff in Spain into Iberia (not sure on the details).
It is on the radio and on several Spanish websites too.
Davescj From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 2244 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 2582 times:
Could be a wildcat strike, and/or only limited to the gate agents/staff in MAD, and as such doen't effect all of BA, and doesn't apply to flight crews.
UPPERDECKFAN From Spain, joined Jun 2007, 992 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2481 times:
You can see a warning note (in english) from AENA web page (AENA is the body that runs all spanish major airports) about the strke called by BA ground staff at MAD & BCN
Seems like the call had no success since flights have been on time this morning.
Union leaders are saying that BA have brought personnel from France and UK to break the strike, just heard an interview on local radio that they are calling for the police to check documentation.
The issue is BA transfering all ground staff to IB.
Aswissinmad From Spain, joined Sep 2005, 147 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 2342 times:
Was working in MAD T4 this morning. At 4.30AM i saw the BA workers get ready in the employee parking lot with signs and white t-shirts with slogans on them. By 5 they were protesting in front of the BA desks. The BA Sales counter remained closed until I left at 11AM and long lines formed at the few checkin counters that were staffed by staff from other stations.
BA decided to sub-contract its ground activities in MAD (and BCN) to Iberia, transferring all their staff to the Spanish airline. Initially, they will keep their salary, but will pretty much start at the bottom on IB's employee scale, thus they will never get a payraise - that's if IB doesn't find a way to fire them.
IB is a horrible company to work for.... some people there have been on temporary contracts for more than 6 years now ... morale is in general very low, and only those hired more than 15-20 years ago have okay working conditions ... but then those are the most incompetent ones at IB (they don't even speak English and have no customer service skills whatsover) and they are only there because they are relatives of some IB managers (enchufados) ... i have contacts with IB employees everyday as they handle the checkin/ramp at my airline and my work is to supervise them.
Many workers here at the airport chose NOT to work for a Spanish airline, because they're such a joke when it comes to contracts and working conditions. It really sucks to work for a good, profitable airline like BA and then being simply dumped to one of the worst airline in the world.
I think BA should review this kind of strategy .... not sure BA pax will like having non-English speaking IB staff handle them. And those BA workers are on strike because they actually want to keep on working for BA. They are not asking for more money or anything like that... they just want to stay at BA becasue they love their jobs!
VV701 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 6617 posts, RR: 17 Reply 10, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 2310 times:
BA457 MAD-LHR scheduled at 1405 hours local landed at 1410 hours so there does not seem to be a problem.
It is interesting to learn that the check in staff used for their own flights by BA are not those used by IB staff for their flights as all the BA and IB flights between MAD and LHR are code-share flights, 5 operated with BA metal and 8 operated with IB metal.
BA has a 10 per cent equity stake in IB. They are currently cooperating with other potential investors who may bid for the other 90 per cent. So you can understand why the two airlines should use the same ground staff.
AIR MALTA From Malta, joined Sep 2001, 2361 posts, RR: 1 Reply 11, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 2232 times:
Quoting Aswissinmad (Reply 9): think BA should review this kind of strategy .... not sure BA pax will like having non-English speaking IB staff handle them. And those BA workers are on strike because they actually want to keep on working for BA. They are not asking for more money or anything like that... they just want to stay at BA becasue they love their jobs!
BA has been nasty with its overseas staff lately. They closed many travel shops like the ones in Vienna, Paris and Geneva and they wanted to transfer the staff to other handling companies at airports. They may reduce costs like that but at the end BA will loose a quality product cause the people who were working with BA were giving a good customer service cause BA is a good company to work for. Now BA cutomers will be handled by third comapnies and the service won't be personal anymore and sometimes it will be very bad. But I guess WW does not care that much untill he faces strikes from those handling agents!!!!
A340600 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2003, 4103 posts, RR: 53 Reply 12, posted (5 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 2165 times:
I noticed this practice of BA outsourcing ground staff yesterday at CDG. BA uniforms with servisair neckchiefs, looked a mess and I really missed full BA uniforms that give a good solid brand sense to the traveller,
Sam
Despite the name I am a Boeing man through and through!
Sponsor Message: 
From Spain, joined Jun 2007, 992 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 2244 posts, 
From Malta, joined Sep 2001, 2361 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
