Originally Posted by
Chadzat
Without getting into a unions vs no-unions thread drift here -
Why is it that in nearly every country with strong Pilot Unions the professions terms and conditions (and bonuses) are all going up strongly in this emerging global shortage.
Now look at some regions where Unions are banned or ineffective and what is happening at those companies? (Middle East, HK etc).
Unions may not be perfect but they do way more good than harm.
In a way you have answered your own question here. You have referenced the increasing remuneration levels in the same sentence in which you have also referenced the increasing global pilot shortage. Market forces are currently allowing flight crew some bargaining power albeit limited by an equally increasing competitive, in many cases, market. This is also occurring in sectors of the aviation industry where unions do not participate and/or for flight crew who do not belong to a union. A number of these sectors do not operate in parallel to schedules as those of the airlines or similar sectors where unions allegedly determine the status quo.
If that is not the case in the Middle East or HK there are obviously flight crew showing a propensity to continue their availability within a workplace where financial reward is flowing at less than its potential. They are not negotiating effectively. This is the same phenomenon as those scenarios where newly licensed pilots render their services available for a reward in 'flying hours' as opposed to financial reward.
I don't agree at all with your last comment "Unions may not be perfect but they do way more good than harm". Many thousands of workers involved in what used to be Australia's car manufacturing industry would now be beginning to question that view. The smart ones would be at least. They too experienced "professions terms and conditions (and bonuses) are all going up strongly" until they were negotiated out of an industry by their 'illustrious' union representatives.
I firmly believe that unions inflict a great deal more harm than good upon both their members and the industries in which they participate.