NJE pays way better than Vista and the pay is the same across all fleets. So, even if you end up on a Light Jet (Phenom 300) you'll make the same base pay as a Global driver who had started the day/week as you. And the guys on the Light and Midsize Jets fly a loooooot and thus make another chunk of money as productivity bonus, regardless of the profitability of the company. The top pilots make about 1 extra monthly salary this way.
I think most people in NJE are aware that the money is good, but not fantastic and they happily trade in some money for
- a good roster of 6/6 or 7/6
- being based at home or wherever they wish
- normally a short commute
The only worrying component is now the fact that in hard times the company, or at least one person, does not care for previously agreed policies and that, according to UK law, even the union could not do much about it. Next year will provide NJE-crew with a new contract outside the UK, let's what it will look like and how the relationship between management and the union will evolve. At the moment it looks like moderate forces within NJE have won in recent weeks and that's why people are getting re-hired.