Flying Farce!

British Airways has another August dispute on its hands. The present trouble is due to Gate Gourmet, the suppliers of the in-flight food, summarily sacking around 600 workers. They needed to do this to "save the company" apparently. Interesting that Gate Gourmet's website is currently seeking to employ quite a few "chiefs". Have they got it right by sacking the "indians"?

BA is embroiled in all this because the baggage handlers at Heathrow came out in sympathy. May not be legal under current laws, but what's new? Rod Eddington, Chief Executive of BA, said "It is a matter of huge disappointment that we have become embroiled in an issue which is not a dispute with British Airways and disrupted thousands of people who were about to take their hard-earned summer holidays." Sounds like it's nothing to do with him. Well, BA did a deal with Gate Gourmet over the meals, didn't they? What price did they pay?

The trouble with all this is that state-owned mindsets still operate with the Heathrow workforce. The directors who bought into BAA (formerly British Airports Authority) and British Airways (formerly the state owned British Airways) have not yet got into the new century by having a workforce that is at ease with itself. Until they all get into a "win-win" situation, BA will being crying crodile tears every August from now on!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4142408.stm
http://www.gategourmet.com/797.asp

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