Originally Posted by
White Van Driver
As I understand pilot T&Cs were never on the table. We weren’t choosing between saving jobs and keeping senior pay scales. The company made it very clear it was about the headcount, not about the paycheque size. There was no mention of firing the pilots in reverse seniority, and even I wouldn’t have supported that (not exactly senior myself, north of 4000MSL).
Don’t forget BA’s opener was 1255 jobs, which while never discussed in detail, I would have imagined to include all of 747, LGW fleets plus chopping a large % off the bottom of both LHS and RHS of 777, 380 and Airbus. This would have forced the line much further up the MSL than the point at which it finally rested, plus included hundreds more from further up. (I did the numbers at the time and any way you cut it, the line went way further up from the bottom of the MSL)
I’m no BALPA fanboy, but I do think they did a solid job saving as many as they could under very trying circumstances. My only regret is that they couldn’t make the size of the CRS 550, which I believe the pilot body would have done in a heartbeat.
Evidently we see things pretty differently. I hope you and the rest of the PRP are welcomed back as quick as possible.
Whilst I respect your opinion, do you really think BA were planning on chopping 1255? Considering the size of operation being run now. I can't really see them going for that giving consideration to training capacity.
I personally think if BA sat down and said for example, 'one from the top for every one from the bottom' that balpa would have managed. Removing the cheapest labour is never a sustainable cost saving measure. Perhaps a political statement for the strikes, that the majority of the 250 redundant weren't even in the company when they took place? Maybe.
I personally don't see the corruption regarding certain members of the BACC as a 'solid job' but, what do I know. I wasn't a part of the negotiation.
Not as much as me. 18 months with a flight school loan and no meaningful employment (for a lot of us) has been difficult.