Orange corridors?!?!?!?!?!
None of the views here come form there.
Last year, during the Ts and Cs negotiations, the Council was pushing hard for fixed roster patterns. 5 and 3 was the target.
This met a brick wall at every turn.
Eventually a comprimise of 6/3 was reached, with many - well known - pitfalls, but heaps better than the previously existing random rostering whereby days off were unknown until the roster was produced, often as late as the last week of the preceeding month.
It was suggested, I believe by management (but I was not there at the time so don't quote me!) that perhaps examining possible changes to FTLs might allow a 5/3 pattern to be discussed more meaningfully.
The (then) PC agreed to DISCUSS this further. A statement to that effect was written into the Agreement of last January - distributed to ALL pilots in the company.
So here we are, 9 months later, discussing it. There have been no deals, promises or concessions from either side. The CAA are also,by necessity, involved.
There is no guarantee that any acceptable proposal will emerge at all. So, nothing lost except some time and effort.
IF, I say again, IF the Council hear any proposal that they believe might be advantageous and workable, AND it is acceptable to the CAA, the proposal WILL be put to the vote for approval OR rejection.
The voters will be the full members of BALPA employed by easyjet at the time. No-one else.
If the proposal is rejected by majority - it's toast! It cannot be enforced under any circumstance whatsoever. Nothing lost.
If accepted, it can be ditched after 6 months, by vote, if found to be not working or abused. No question. Nothing lost.
I really cannot see what the big deal is here. Does it really matter who started the discussion in the first place? There's nothing wrong at all in discussing something. If we stop talking we may all end up as toast.
This way the company have to meet with us and talk. Without representation they will just do as they like.
Ask yourself some questions:
If Balpa had not been involved in last year's talks - what do you HONESTLY think the Harmonisation of Terms and Conditions document (if there would have been one at all!) would have looked like?
Do you want to try to improve you rosters?
Are you happy with your company pension arrangements?
Are you happy with your current lifestyle/work balance?
Can you, as an individual, do a damned thing about any of the above?
Why not join Balpa. Stick your hand in your pocket. Air your views on our Balpa BB - using real names as we all do there - and argue your case and hear other views on a daily basis.
If your arguments are convincing enough, you will win over people and then the Council turns to fight your cause(s) if they represent a majority view. We only argue the majority view - not those views we personally hold.
It really is that simple.