Originally Posted by
Ultra
Roll Through...,
It's a pity that you've allowed your opinion to become so jaundiced by the ranting of a few angry old men (in the AFAP). It's also a pity that your opinion lacks a good measure of understanding. I guess you're just young.
Here are some verifiable facts:
1. Experienced Check and Training Pilots (not line plots) were sought from the RSA to maintain the operation. No C & T pilots = no line pilots = no operation.
2. Why was this necessary? There seems to be a lack of type-experienced C &T pilots here.
3. Why do I believe this? The perpetual E o I for C & T pilots that has been published internally for some time with little success.
4. Why little success? (and I'm sure this is the single point on which we will continue to disagree), because LIFESTYLE (not insufficient financial reward) is more important it seems, to our local qualified pilots that could be applying for those C & T positions.
Don't criticise the AIPA rep leader for going to the RSA in search of qualified pilots to sustain our operation. The same operation that now employs, trains, pays and enhances yours and your cohort's future employment opportunities. He did the same thing many years ago WITH THE AFAP's BLESSING after extensive mutual consultation between AFAP and management.
Why him and not someone else? Because he has had a long association with the RSA through many early-career flying years there and some ongoing connection.
In other words, please put away your knife and stop playing the man, because he's earned his stripes in this company and this industry and he deserves better treatment.
You’ve made my point.
Lifestyle is a big part of the conditions associated with a regional airline, so when we talk improving ‘conditions’ we are absolutely talking about lifestyle. I totally agree that a lack of training staff will put pressure on the company faster than any other position, especially when the company is bleeding pilots because it is not an employer of choice as a result of its poor conditions - you need to train hard when everyone starts leaving. The fact that the company was looking to RSA to fill those positions is telling on how much pressure they were under. This was a significant opportunity for the pilot group to exploit.
Instead of using the current position the company is in to the pilots advantage to improve both
lifestyle and financial position, someone went overseas to help dig the company out of the position they have gotten themselves in. The company got themselves into that position by wearing down the conditions to the point that a C&T position (which should be a sort after position) is only attractive to pilots looking to escape South Africa. You have to agree that at best the trip is a bad look.
I’m sure he has a long association with RSA, and would have been really helpful for the company to make connections and find pilots in RSA - but that’s not the job of a union rep. His job is to represent the interests of the pilots he represents. This junket to RSA is not in the interests of the pilots. Telling me that ‘AFAP endorsed it last time’ isn’t a positive point for your case either….
Also, as an aside, it’s not just the financial and lifestyle side that stops people from becoming checkers and trainers at Qlink. The perception that was built by AY and his cronies that the best way to become a Qlink hostage is to put your hand up for a C&T role. You can watch your trainees get their start date at QF/JQ while you spend years training QFPP cadets to land in hot gusty conditions at LRE waiting for a start date in the next decade. How many time have you heard in the crew room ‘I’m not taking a command because I want to go to Mainline?” - C&T is no different. At least the last CP tried to fix this by making the releases more transparent - but I think there is still a big stink attached to C&T roles.