Originally Posted by
A320LGW
You are more than welcome to that. I can see the argument that they are cheap as there is no employer NI or retirement contributions. However at €230 an hour I still wouldn't call them that cheap.
What would the plan be? To pay UK guys a high basic salary and not have them actually work? It's gross £10/hr FOs are getting and we are doing full months even as the October roster is coming out. Or as guys leave, not replace them with more employed pilots but floaters/contractors?
If it is true I don't see it surviving very long. HMRC will come knocking and IR35 will be argued. Everyone will quickly skidaddle.
They also have UK zero hr contractors. Every other day I hear about another one getting audited by HMRC.
Didn't mean to take a dig at you or your comment - I was just pointing that contractors will be always cheaper than employees (otherwise why would governments come up with that idea several years ago?
It is much more than NI & pension. Sick pay, accommodation paid when sending out of base, per diems, visas, not to even talk they discount contractors €4.5/hour to cover your recurrent sim expenses, which is part of OMD legislation, not ATO
Then there are corporate costs savings like NI, pension, insurance, death in service etc that the company is not liable to pay you a penny. And the whole social responsibility.
Don't know any skipper that is on €230/hour (including mobile pilots), FOs are €85 or €90 so a skipper won't be more than double. But I know RYRs wet dream is to get everyone working as contractors.
HMRC has bigger fish to fry, especially now when the contractor community has dropped significantly (FOs now offered direct contract, a must if EU national being UK based due to visa requirements).