Originally Posted by
172_driver
...you believe it to be "unfair" is what was written.
Give me something that's unfair with seniority?
Honestly, have you not read the past 4 pages? OK I'll bite, what's unfair is that it rewards mediocrity, does not acknowledge previous experience, and is only beneficial to a small minority whilst penalizing the majority, when viewed from the perspective of the industry as a whole. It is a very small carrot which effectively 'ties' an individual to a company. If viewed from a HR point of view it is, in reality, also ageist, rewarding the old and penalizing the young.
Examples from my former company:
Career FOs receiving higher pay than guys who were FAR better at the job they were paid to do, due to their ability to bid and then stay indefinitely on long haul, merely because they'd been at the company longer. They hit a glass ceiling and therefore blocked those who would have benefitted from gaining experience.
Command slots being witheld from very capable guys who weren't allowed to apply.... even though they were more than capable and would have been an asset to the company.
A huge variation in terms and conditions, dividing the pilot workforce.
You just cannot expect to jump the queue
the whole point of this thread, that sadly you and many others can't seem to understand is that the queuing system doesn't need to exist. The fact that you have stood in the queue or are at its front is the reason why you are defending it so vehemently. Your points all hinge and eminate from the system still existing, your view from 'within the queue'... when this thread calls, and makes several valid arguments, for a change to that system, which several are blind to as they are incapable of thinking outside of their own narrow self serving beliefs. To admit and acknowledge the flaws of the system they have subscribed to, would require them to admit that they have committed and contributed to it, a bitter pill to swallow. To use a CRM term, they are 'in a set'. I can appreciate why it is hard to admit that you saw the boat had holes but boarded anyway.
As a thought exercise take yourself and your personal interest and investment out of the equation just for a minute, and consider an industry where this arbitrary system didnt exist, imagine being able to apply somewhere based on what you had already achieved and being acknowledged accordingly as a result. Envisage, if you can, that nobody was 'jumping the queue' as the queue didnt exist. You wouldn't be leaving one, you wouldn't be joining one. You could occupy the same position you do now elsewhere as they wouldn't have a queue either, in fact they introduced a package that was equal or better than what you have in order to encourage you to apply.
Sadly the pilot community, in part due to this antiquated system, is inherently self serving and things are often fought for and held by the individuals because it benefits them, and the cost to the whole be damned. This debate is a perfect example of such thinking. "I have had to queue, so he should have to queue" instead of "this might actually benefit us all"
You guys enjoy the view from your queue whilst you wait patiently for your 'turn', keep sipping your company flavoured coolaid (now with extra added Ts and Cs for a SUPER shiny career) and remember if in doubt, at any point repeat this seniority prayer... feel free to chant it for an extra sense of satisfaction....
"Dear lord, I know I'm not the best pilot, but I'm not the worst, if I can't bid for it at the moment, maybe if you are kind you might let me bid for it in the future, and if you wont let me bid for it, I thank you for not letting joe bloggs beneath me bid for it either. Thank you for keeping me safe from those who seek to enter the kingdom above me, because although their noses are often long and brown, they know not how to queue. May those above me continue to look down upon me, and may I never be cast aside for I would have to start right back down at the bottom... or at Ryanair, which is even worse. Give me the knowledge to appreciate all of your wonderful Ts and Cs and even if I don't have them right at this very minute, give me the strength to appreciate that if I'm a very good boy and play my cards right and wait patiently and the management dont move the goalposts I might, one day, have what nigel did 20 years ago... he owns his own house and has a massive pension. Amen" 🤣😬🤣
Goodnight. 😉