This has been an interesting exercise. It seems that there are some pilots not getting anywhere near their worth and some doing okay (FOs paid the same as Capt in a different sector). This example was one of the reasons I commenced this thread. It is my belief that there should exist an Industry minimum for certain positions in the aircraft. Any amount above that minimum would be a weighting for time served, ad-quals, hostile environment, unsociable hrs, critical nature of role etc.......so why are we not at our Union doors asking for some perfectly reasonable parity? I believe the industry as a whole would benefit as companies would engender loyalty, would suffer less turn over and constant training/re-qual costs and the pilot would know where he stood and have a predictable pay spine upon which to aspire.
Companies are trying to get more for less - it is the way of it. But you pay peanuts, you get monkeys (eventually) and that means higher costs to train to standard at the end of the day. You may as well pay the experienced pilots the right amount in the first place. Notice, I'm not saying we all need a pay rise. I'm saying we need parity in the industry so we cannot fall fowl of the scaremongering that companies invoke. Which is a dreadful untruth. There are not ques of pilots behind me. It is a massive and expensive faff to re-employ and train a new pilot.........pilots are still a rare and valuable asset - actually, a completely unique and essential part of a lot of multi million £/$ industries. If we were not there, the industries would cease to function!
So how do we change it? Strike, go to the Unions? Suggestions please?
Oh, and I haven't even commented on the weight of responsibility that we hold. People's lives in our hands and the multi million pound machinery. Other sectors with that kind of burden get paid appropriately (perhaps? Another discussion?). Doctors, airline pilots, train drivers, dentists etc