Originally Posted by
Uplinker
We pilots and our unions need to be much stronger, not just on pay, but on FDPs, and number of consecutive earlies/lates etc.
Any management will resist vigorously, their side of the argument backed up strongly by yearly KPI's and the market realities; know your enemy.
What EZY does on 5/4, the summer Smartlynx squad does on 6/36h. For the same income, cheaper by around 30% due to evasive arrangements on social security. Do not blame the pilots too quick, for the winter months they enjoy home Jet2 style, in cheap-to-QoL countries.
I am afraid you cannot make your (opponent) management go fight the market. If the UK pilot community via BALPA will have the resolve, go cut the roots. Make the market grow the way you need to, put an end to the self-employed one-man LTDs of Ireland.
Towards the East and south of Munich, many broke under that pressure and their industries adopted in an uncanny way. Self-employed air-carrier pilot has become fully legalized at some places, even. There's a full-size government-owned airline that runs self-employed contracts for all crews in the land of Ryanair Sun. It is now a peaceful period, with Primera, Wow, Germania, SmallPlanet and number of others gone, won't last forever.
The management will always have the upper hand, because they are smarter, sharply educated, better motivated, ready to accept short term losses and keen to adopt. And ignorant at times, not personally involved - to their benefit. Us pilots are neither. If the efforts are channelled to make room where the management(s) could step back to, there might be a fighting chance.