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Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 07 Aug 2023, 12:50
by VS075
BBC News ran an article over the weekend where the pilots union Balpa revealed that a recent vote indicated that 96% of VS pilots would support a formal industrial action ballot.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66421175

Probably one to keep an eye on in the coming months, but hopefully VS and Balpa can come to an agreement before it gets that far. Either way, it would seem the pilots are not happy at the moment.

Re: Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 09 Aug 2023, 18:07
by LREDI
This looks like a bit of a PR ploy to me given negotiations haven't actually started (reading between the lines) - as a result - they may just feel VS will play hardball and therefore are getting their view out first.

The last thing VS needs is industrial action when its focused on going for profitability. That said, within the Times article it noted Shai Weiss has been awarded a salary + benefits of £3.7mn - if that's true - it's.... high.

Re: Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 12 Aug 2023, 17:29
by VS075
LREDI wrote:The last thing VS needs is industrial action when its focused on going for profitability. That said, within the Times article it noted Shai Weiss has been awarded a salary + benefits of £3.7mn - if that's true - it's.... high.


Agree about industrial action being the last thing that's needed right now, though as for Shai Weiss' salary, it depends whether it's high relative to his counterparts at other airlines or just high in general. That said, drawing attention to CEO salaries seems to be a tactic used by some unions in recent years to highlight senior management pay as part of any disputes.

Re: Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 12 Aug 2023, 18:19
by mitchja
Apparently this is nothing to do with money though, it’s more about VS management removing relief pilots on certain routes since the pandemic hit i.e. just 2 now instead of the previous 3 flight deck members as well as only offering a 1 night rest period down route.

I’ve head one of the worst routes for this is the LHR>MIA>LHR route due to its long flight time which is approaching the maximum for just 2 flight deck crew; together with the them only getting a 1 night stopover.

I fully support them in this as I certainly don't want fatigued flight deck crew op'ing flights.

Re: Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 15 Aug 2023, 22:56
by VS075
mitchja wrote:Apparently this is nothing to do with money though, it’s more about VS management removing relief pilots on certain routes since the pandemic hit i.e. just 2 now instead of the previous 3 flight deck members as well as only offering a 1 night rest period down route.

I’ve head one of the worst routes for this is the LHR>MIA>LHR route due to its long flight time which is approaching the maximum for just 2 flight deck crew; together with the them only getting a 1 night stopover.

I fully support them in this as I certainly don't want fatigued flight deck crew op'ing flights.


Agreed. Personally, I find the idea of piloting a plane across multiple time zones and flying straight back 24hrs later very unappealing and I struggle to see how anyone can be adequately rested. That’s before we think about how long they have off after that before working another round trip. Am I right in thinking cabin crew also went down to a one night layover for some destinations?

Numerous cases exist of accidents in aviation and other modes of transport due to fatigue. For an industry that responds to accidents by taking steps to avoid them again, it’s surprising the boundaries are being pushed on factors that lead to fatigue.

Re: Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 16 Aug 2023, 17:12
by EstelleB
I was wondering if this was also impacted by the new 'stopover' flights in the Caribbean - if they are running more 12 hour flights this must make a difference to the pilots as well?

Re: Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 16 Aug 2023, 21:29
by VS075
EstelleB wrote:I was wondering if this was also impacted by the new 'stopover' flights in the Caribbean - if they are running more 12 hour flights this must make a difference to the pilots as well?


Not sure if this is the norm, but when I was at BGI waiting for our flight back to land from GND last year, a fresh crew were waiting at the gate to take over. I’ll defer to anyone more knowledgable than me, but I think the flights that are carrying on from BGI are crew that have stopped over at BGI and work a return trip to whichever island the flight is continuing on to. I can’t recall if the flight deck crew was two pilots or there was also a relief pilot involved.

What’s probably relevant to this dispute is the question of how much rest they’re having in between these flights. UK to BGI and various other Caribbean islands are a similar stage length to LHR-MIA.

Re: Potential industrial action

PostPosted: 17 Aug 2023, 14:09
by EstelleB
The rest thing is an issue apparently. One of the crew on our recent flight was trying to explain to me the difference between when you get 2 nights versus 1 or no night away and it did seem pretty arbitrary!