The BACC wish to work with BA to help make this new venture work. We want to take the fight to our competitors,in their home markets,and establish BA as the premier European carrier.We want to afford BA the flexibility and reduced cost base to support this venture.

We anticipate and welcome the competition and opportunities that an open skies market between the EU and US will bring.We will meet the challenges that come our way as our biggest competitors begin direct services from Heathrow to our most profitable foreign market, the US.

We cannot however countenance BA starting an operation that has the potential to undermine our existing terms and conditions and job security. We are uniquely committed and invested in the success of our business and we must not allow BA to effectively outsource our work.

Every current pilot in BA must be in no doubt that if we allow BA to start a wholly owned company, trading on the British Airways brand, product and service, existing BA pilot jobs and our current terms and conditions will, in the longer term, be under threat.

For these reasons, we insist on all direct entry pilots joining OpenSkies being added to the BA Master Seniority List. We must also have the opportunity for existing BA pilots to fly for Open Skies.

It is only by putting these safeguards in place, will we be able to protect our long term job security and career opportunities.

BA doesn’t believe thatwe have a right to this work under the terms of our existing agreement.

BA does have a fear that if we are allowed access to the pilot positions other work groups in BA will seek similar opportunities for themselves.

The company also believes that they have the right to start up a wholly owned subsidiary with a clean sheet of terms and conditions. They do notwant OpenSkies “contaminated”by mainline practices and have invested a great deal of political capital and goodwill in defending this belief.

This is a company offering the BA Brand,using BA’s reputation,flying BA aircraft and set up using the profits earned by BA’s current employees.All OpenSkies pilots must be a part of British Airways,wherever they may come from, and therefore must have a BA master seniority position.

Seniority numbers are important for two reasons.With a position on the master seniority list OpenSkies pilots would have nothing to gain from the erosion of mainline terms and conditions.With a seniority number they have access to future career development opportunities within the British Airways group.

BA’s principle objection to mainline pilots flying for OpenSkies is cost and the lack of flexibility.

BA’s objects to having OpenSkies pilots on the master seniority list because of “contamination”.They are concerned that having a link to the master seniority list will give the pilots in OpenSkies a different“mindset”and they will not be able to focus on growing OpenSkies.

The company believes OpenSkies pilots will require different skills and mentality to those of a mainline pilot.
The BACC strongly believes that any pilot in BA has the skills and flexibility to undertake the type of flying required by this operation.

We have detailed case studies from three Pilot’s Associations in the OneWorld alliance.

Aer Lingus attempted to set up a similar venture,based in Belfast recruiting pilots on different terms & conditions and separate from the Aer Lingus pilot workforce.Following a strong ballot for Industrial Action an agreementwas signed between Aer Lingus and the pilot’s association.This “Global New Base Agreement”,included all Aer Lingus pilots on a Global seniority list,with local terms and conditions applying to the new base.

SEPLA,representing Iberia pilots, took 3 days of industrial action to retain work and jobs that were being transferred to Iberia’s low cost airline,Clickair.Iberia settled the dispute giving assurances of job and pay protection.

Qantas set up a low cost division called Jetstar in 2004,which was initially unopposed by the Pilot’s ssociation IAPA.This new airline will soon be operating 46 aircraft and is competing successfully with the parent airline on domestic and international routes.The parent company pilots can no longer compete “economically”with the start up airline.

Jetstar will receive 15 787s,diverted from an order placed by Qantas.

BA’s Roger Maynard,sat on the Board of both Iberia and Qantas when these low cost airlines were launched.He will sit on the board of OpenSkies. In these three cases and others from around the world, pilots in the parent airline have seen downwards pressure on terms and conditions with aircraft and routes migrating to the lower cost base.

Earlier this year,as part of the publication of its annual results,BA announced its intention to explore opportunities flying between mainland Europe’s capital cities and major US centres arising from the ‘Open Skies’agreement signed between the EU and US regulatory authorities.

We welcome the company seeking growth opportunities. We want to be a part of that process.BA has only allowed the BACC to be involved in a superficial manner.Until we recorded a failure to agree and convened a standing conference BA refused to discuss the matter officially with your elected representatives.

BA has made very little information available to the BACC to enable us to put forward our case for carrying out the OpenSkies flying.Nevertheless we have put forward viable proposals on how we could undertake this flying at market rate.

On January 15th the Standing Conference,our final stage in the dispute resolution process,ended without an agreement.

-BA will not accept that Schedule K needs to change
-BA will not accept OpenSkies pilots as part of our seniority list
-BA will not guarantee OpenSkies pilots a position in mainline

The proposed operation is in breach of the intent of Schedule K.

The regulatory environment that existed in 2003,when the employment security clause was last re-written,had no prospect of BA being able to exploit opportunities such as the one that is being proposed.