{"id":11005,"date":"2017-01-11T11:04:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T11:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=11005"},"modified":"2017-01-11T11:55:36","modified_gmt":"2017-01-11T11:55:36","slug":"i-was-depressed-all-the-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=11005","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098I was depressed all the time\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

For many career cabin crew members and passengers alike, British Airways has been seen over the years as the gold standard of service. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why passengers pay premium ticket prices \u00e2\u20ac\u201c for purportedly premium standards of excellence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is what drew James* to leave his position as cabin crew for Emirates and join BA, whose Mixed Fleet cabin crew began a 48-hour strike yesterday (January 10).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBack then, everyone wanted to work for BA,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told UNITElive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

James started just as the company introduced its Mixed Fleet contracts in 2010, which saw new cabin crew start on much lower pay and worse terms and conditions than legacy BA cabin crew.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI knew that the new contract would be different \u00e2\u20ac\u201c with a mixture of short and long haul flights,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But he had no idea exactly what he was getting himself into \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he and his colleagues were doubly hit by the stress of eking out a living on abysmally low pay while also being worked to the bone, in a constant state of fatigue.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When Mixed Fleet was first introduced, BA promised much higher starting rates, but James notes that in the 18 months that he worked for the airline, he never earned more than \u00c2\u014117,000 a year, including allowances.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOver a short period of time, I amassed loads of credit card debt just to keep my head above water,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bHaving to constantly ask your parents for money at the end of the month, who themselves can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t afford it, and just generally having to be worrying about money all the time, takes a huge toll on you emotionally.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

James is among Mixed Fleet cabin crew who live in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI had to share a flat totally not fit for purpose with\u00c2\u00a0six other people,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs a fully grown adult with a full-time job I was living in a student home.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So much more than serving tea<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

James explains that on the surface, most passengers only see cabin crew serving tea, coffee and meals but the job he notes is so much more than that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part of the job is dealing with problems that arise on a flight as discreetly as possible, so that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why passengers often don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand what cabin crew have to go through.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFrom administering CPR to stopping passengers from smoking in the lavatories to dealing with intoxicated passengers who are acting out abusively \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it happens more often than you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d think,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bJust because it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happening in the area you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re sitting in doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that there are all manner of incidents going on in different sections without passengers even realising it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bCabin crew have to be fully vigilant and awake to deal with these issues \u00e2\u20ac\u201c often an all but impossible feat given the gruelling schedules Mixed Fleet crew are typically on.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

James recounted having four consecutive days of short haul flights, arriving back at Heathrow at 9 pm, having to drive home afterwards and then being expected to be back in work the next day for a long-haul flight to Las Vegas. Upon arriving, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d only have one rest day before flying back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe toll that takes on your mind and body when your internal clock is all out of sync is unimaginable,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained, noting that when he worked for Emirates, rest breaks were much more generous, with up to four days given to recuperate from flights that crossed several time zones.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the end, the worst outcome from working for BA Mixed Fleet, James notes, is that he lost his passion for the job.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI had committed to cabin crew as a career because I absolutely loved it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut I always tell people British Airways destroyed my love of flying.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He said many of the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tactics went against his values \u00e2\u20ac\u201c especially management\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s anti-union stance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI was a Unite rep and so a vocal advocate for better pay and conditions,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut I was denied a promotion \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a promotion that I was actually initially granted but had to turn down earlier because of family reasons \u00e2\u20ac\u201c despite having an exemplary record. This was no doubt because of my union work.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘Couldn’t afford the job’<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

Ultimately, James quit because he simply couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t afford the job.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI was depressed all the time,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Afterwards, James started a new career as a train driver, and the pay, terms and conditions couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be any more different than in his previous job working for BA.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPart of the reason that wages are so comparatively good for train drivers is that they serve a vital safety function \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and my company recognises that,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOn the other hand, cabin crew assume that exact same safety role but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re paid a pittance \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s enormously unfair.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One point James hopes passengers, who may be frustrated by strikes understand, is that passengers themselves do not benefit at all from British Airways\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 relentless cost-cutting \u00e2\u20ac\u201d in fact, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very much the opposite.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOne might think that by keeping cabin crew wages low, the savings are passed on to the customer,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he argued. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut at BA ticket prices are as high as ever \u00e2\u20ac\u201d all those savings from low wages only add to the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ever-increasing profits.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPassengers are losing out just as much cabin crew in this whole dispute \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have decently paid, well-rested staff, the service suffers and most importantly, safety is seriously compromised. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not worth the risk, a risk that very well could be life-threatening.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

James sends a message of solidarity to all striking BA cabin crew today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI urge them to stay strong,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs so many successful strikes have shown, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s power in numbers.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*Name changed to protect privacy.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pic by Mark Thomas from January 10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many career cabin crew members and passengers alike, British Airways has been seen over the years as the gold standard of service. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why passengers pay premium ticket prices \u00e2\u20ac\u201c for purportedly premium standards of excellence.   This is what drew James* to leave his position as cabin crew for Emirates and join BA, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11008,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[390,96,215],"wps_subtitle":"Ex-crew speaks of \u00e2\u20ac\u0098unimaginable toll\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 of BA job","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11005"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11005"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11009,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11005\/revisions\/11009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}