In an
excellent post on why the timing is right for industrial action, Ochre Insider made a point about seniority.
Seniority will always stifle the natural operation of the market. The requirement for new joiners or returnees to start at the bottom effectively impinges on horizontal movement between major airlines. As such, even in times of pilot shortage, salaries are prevented from rising in the enormous amounts that sometimes occur in other industries (ie mining, IT in the 90's, etc) because employers do not have to increase salaries to retain skilled labour."
This struck a chord with me... I have benefitted by, and defended, the seniority system, but I have wondered if for all its benefits, it does us one big disservice -- stop us from 'walking' when other professionals would. I
said so in a long thread on the "Pilot Shortage is Coming"
In the old days there was TAA, Ansett ANA and Qantas. Seniority worked then. Three big companies, and if you met the standard, jobs for life.
Where are the 'jet jobs' now? Qantas, Australian, Virgin, Jetstar, Alliance, Skywest, NJS, SkyAirWorld, Ozjet....
All of those will put pressure on their pilots. You need the pilots to stand firm, or be ready to leave for better jobs. And they have to be able to have a crack at a job at the same income level.
That is why command pay is going down. A possible 10% pay reduction beats a certain 40% pay reduction when it is your job that is threatened.
Can you imagine a top surgeon in a NSW hospital going back to being a sh!t-kicker medical officer just to make a move to QLD?
The airline industry has reorganised. The employment laws have changed. The 'job for life' went years ago.
Are we pilots ready to recognise that some of our inherited attitudes that we hold onto so dearly, are actually part of the problem?
I think we need to ask the question - is it time to ditch seniority?
To some pilots saying that is worse than sh!tting on a church altar. But it is a serious question.
A number of posters on that thread rebutted any need to scrap seniority. Think of the effect on rostering, bidding, opportunity to qualify, etc, they said.
I think it is possible though, to retain seniority in your work contract for those things, but to open up the employment market by allowing direct entry commands.
DEC as a last resort has done us more harm than good, IMHO.
I think we all need to recognise that there is a shortage, and that seniority hampers 'horizontal movement' between companies, and has resulted in us not earning the money we otherwise could be. Including FO's!
Any thoughts?