Originally Posted by
de fumo in flammam
Ranmore, check the BALPA annual accounts before directing abuse at me (FY2017 is the most recent one on their website, and while you're at it, actually read the newsletters too) - no, of course I'm not a member, and I have mostly retired. I have dealt with McCauslan(?) in the past, and I was shocked by the experience, swearing that they'd never get a penny of my money ever again. By all accounts, the BRCC reps are very sound guys, but they seemed maybe too swayed by various influences, not least by the Irish CC, and Balpa really should vet what gets issued under their title. "Boys" was a turn of phrase, not intentionally directed at the reps, but yes it was unintentionally derogatory, albeit seeming apt if you read the juvenile guff in the newsletters.
Anyway, the Balpa DB pension scheme continues to run in the accounts compiled Oct 2018 for FY2017 (and though closed to new members, it does seem to be open for further accrual - something even BA NAPSters lost some time ago), with pension costs soaking up a whopping £1.8m of the £6.3m membership revenue, almost as much as salaries, and three times as much as they spent on actually defending members - the bread and butter. Moreover, a £1.6m exceptional DB pension deficit provision was made, and further exceptional pension deficit costs are expected to be ongoing until 2025 (the introduction says £1m for 2017, not sure why there's a difference). It may all have changed since 2018 but not that I've heard, and not that I can find evidence of in a search. So otherwise, it does seem that a vast chunk of your membership dues end up in BALPAs pension pot.