BA and other Heathrow flights over half-term to be disrupted by Menzies Aviation strike

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• Paul says:

  2 Feb2 February 08:40

  I am struck by the comments here today. There was a time such action would have seen people calling for the staff to be boiled in oil.

  Hire and rehire particularly when Menzies also took advantage of furlough is scandalous.

  • Laura says:

    2 Feb2 February 09:09

    I think current circumstances have softened people’s attitudes to such action. Legacy staff at BA in addition to pay cut have been promises no pay rises until market rate catches up.

  • Londonsteve says:

    2 Feb2 February 22:15

    Times have changed. I used to work for an international investment bank and was a devoted Telegraph reader. I believed in de-regulated bucaeering free markets to generate wealth and the power of the trickle down effect. I moved onto another large bank and then worked at yet another well-known investment bank. I witnessed first hand financial meltdown of 2007 caused by greed and negligent regulation. I left the financial sector a jaded individual and realised it was a lie and my role was window dressing. Like many people, post financial crash I never had a real pay rise. I am now an enthusiastic proponent of socialism and believe that Scandianivian social democracy had it right all along while in the Anglo-Saxon world we have been gaslighted into believing that a system that serves the upper 5% is in our communal interests. Never again. And I consider myself to be relatively lucky!

• Ian says:

  2 Feb2 February 08:54

  It seems that only London have half term that week. The rest of the country appears to be the week starting 21st.

  • Rob says:

    2 Feb2 February 08:54

    Yes, London is w/c 14th.

  • The real Swiss Tony says:

    2 Feb2 February 09:12

    No, we have that week as well, although the surrounding counties are the week after, which has meant some bargain airfares to be had. Driving an hour North to BHX got me easyjet to Geneva for one fifth (!!) of the price of a BA flight out of Heathrow, which is one hour to the South.

  • Andrew. says:

    2 Feb2 February 09:28

    When you say country? Guess you mean England rather than UK?

    The dates tie in with the school holidays of John Menzies staff in the Capital and most other Scottish councils.

    • Spelling Bee says:

      2 Feb2 February 10:00

      Counties not countries

      • Andrew. says:

        2 Feb2 February 10:20

        Are you being a typical hate ridden little Englander mocking Scots?

        Or did you not realise that I was replying to Ian?

        • tony says:

          3 Feb3 February 07:06

          How many times do we have to put up with wee Jimmie Cranky telling us that Scotland IS a country, then when someone reinforces that, they’re deemed to be a “little Englander”.

          FFS

  • NorthernLass says:

    2 Feb2 February 09:41

    It’s w/c 14th in the north – it’s always that week.

    • ianwardz says:

      2 Feb2 February 18:25

      Depends where you mean by up north.
      We are in North Yorkshire and that is 21st.
      Generally it seems that most of England, outside of London is 21st with some exceptions.
      I was just pointing out that the impact is not on everyone’s half term, I didn’t intend to cause any cross border disputes 😁

  • Wally1976 says:

    2 Feb2 February 17:36

    Yes from a purely selfish point of view I was very glad to read the detail of the article and find out this is a week before my wife and I travel (in our half term)! Realise the action could easily be postponed a week or drag on though. And sympathy to the workers involved.

• Charlie Whiskey says:

  2 Feb2 February 09:17

  Rob, you say that: “ The company has called a strike ….”
  I think you mean that the Unite Union has done so …

  • Rob says:

    2 Feb2 February 10:17

    I do …

• Dr Dr says:

  2 Feb2 February 10:41

  I) If a refueller has had up to a £9000 pay cut and they are not out begging, how much were they being paid beforehand?
  2) And the lesson is, do NOT buy in services from third parties. Keep it all in house!

  • Nick says:

    2 Feb2 February 12:00

    For (2), if you’re a small airline at heathrow with only flights at specific times of day, why would you hire, train and retain a team of baggage handlers or refuellers? What are you going to do with them the rest of the time? Would it perhaps be better to team up with other airlines for economies of scale and have a specialist working across them? Oh, wait…

  • Chrisasaurus says:

    2 Feb2 February 20:20

    9,000 more

• Davd says:

  2 Feb2 February 13:51

  Menzies are not the only refuellers at Heathrow.

  • Rob says:

    2 Feb2 February 14:15

    Of course. The others are unlikely to have huge amounts of spare capacity, however, either in terms of staff or equipment.

  • Rhys says:

    2 Feb2 February 14:15

    …which is exactly what we said in the article!

  • Lady London says:

    2 Feb2 February 14:19

    They’re also big at LGW and I think, possibly still at Luton.

    Good luck to the staff Menzies is taking the p

• Londonsteve says:

  2 Feb2 February 21:57

  Go lads! Employees are, finally, having their moment in the limelight after 20 years in the shadows due to limitless recruitment from the EU, financial meltdown, followed by zero real salary growth then Brexit and Covid induced deep freezes. The boot is firmly on the other foot and they are minded to give their abusive employers a kicking. UK salaries are lagging significantly behind large parts of the developed world and the ratio between salaries and living expenses places the UK somewhere in central Europe, not amongst its western European or US peer group.

• Alex Sm says:

  14 Feb14 February 03:24

  Is Menzies pronounced as [mingis]? I got confused

  • Rob says:

    14 Feb14 February 06:33

    I believe so.

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