Having just returned from a few days down the line, I must say this thread is now shaping up to be of enormous interest to most professional pilots.
Joystroker comes pretty close to my own sentiments with regard to the subject of this thread where he shouts “HOW DARE SOMEONE DENY AN INDIVIDUAL THE RIGHT TO WORK BECAUSE OF THIS WHOLLY UNPROFESSIONAL PRACTICE”.
As my friend
The Guvnor rightly says above, the subject of bonding is one near to my heart and I am appalled at what has happened to
Holt CJ’s client, ‘A’. To answer your question above,
Holt CJ, I agree with
The Guvnor’s remark that it is “[i]mmoral, certainly unethical”.
From what you say about friend and colleague ‘A’, it seems he has fallen foul of what is a very common practice amongst unscrupulous airlines desperate to hire pilots, especially pilots with substantial experience (and I presume ‘A’ was enticed into this position as a direct entry Captain?), namely, to lie through their teeth with all kinds of enticements simply to obtain a signature on a standard employment contract that rarely contains the promised enticements. Once ensnared, the hapless pilot is then in a position where the bonding agreement places him/her between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Perversely in ‘A’’s case, it seems he is luckier than others in that there were no witnesses. Most airlines interview with a panel, thus there are usually two or three management yes-men lurking in the background to swear under oath that the promises were not made (or at least to suffer complete loss of recall when asked) :o . Thus it is usually two or three words against one. ‘A’ is better off merely because it seems it is going to be his word against the sole interviewer’s, leaving it for the judge to decide who is to be believed.
As for ‘A’’s stance on the safety issue in him driving hundreds of miles to and from duty, he is quite obviously a thoroughly professional individual deserving considerable credit for his willingness to place himself at risk of bond enforcement in resigning under these circumstances. Well done, that man! Well done indeed. And a pox on the entire bonding system, especially when it is used as a coercive tool in this way.
Norman Stanley Fletcher
No doubt
Holt CJ will accept your apology, for he seems the perfect gentleman. But I will certainly forgive neither your past display of gross ignorance and prejudice nor the disparaging remarks you address to me above – “the first female freemason”, indeed! Fancy that, your mother was a female. And there was me thinking that you did not have one.
ADC
The answer to your question is a resounding: No, I would not! I would rely on the system in place to properly assess the individual applicant. If that cannot do the job, then I am at fault and ought not to rely on a friend’s personal view unless the applicant specifically names that friend as a personal or professional referee.
Well said,
bugg smasher, agree with most of your post above, except I am sure that
slj is right when he says: “[a]n oral statement is as legally binding as a written statement, although harder to prove.”
Finally, I think we would all do well to pay attention to
slj’s words as follows: “Do your own investigations and get what to you are essential parts of the contract in writing.” I would like to hear
Holt CJ and
slj further on this one. How do you each suggest the pilot goes about getting what are essential parts of the contract in writing? I have tried this myself and been promptly told where to go, in no uncertain terms.