Tandemrotor
'As gss is an entirely DEPENDENT, as opposed to INDEPENDENT operator, they were faced with a choice.
Reject the request, and stagnate, or grow the business by accepting the reasonable request of it's client.'
It might be your last posting, but I cannot let this go without challenging your use of 'reasonable'.
Since when has abject bullying been 'reasonable'?
It might be in your world, for but the rest of us, it is far from 'reasonable'. The BACC is big and powerful, GSS is small and not - QED. No negotiation - just do it or else! And then... oh yes,....stop whinging!
= BULLYING!
The BACC decided to appease the understandable complaints from their members concerning the haemorraging of work to other airlines such as Qantas [SIN to OZ], Aer Lingus [all routes to Ireland] Com Air, [JNB to GBE and DUR] GibAir, BMed etc..etc etc....... by attacking a new vulnerable fledgling airline called GSS. They were going to be easy prey and it would look good to BA pilots as the BACC would be seen to be 'doing something about it'.
The fact that BA never had the freight work in the first place - as opposed to the above airlines - seems to have been conveniently overlooked.
They then managed amazingly, to persuade a BA Flights Ops IR person [who then disappeared from the scene] to sign an agreement to allow command bidding to a completely different INDEPENDENT airline, GSS, who happened to be contracted at the time to fly BA's main deck cargo. No one in BA or BALPA thought fit to mention this to GSS.
Then the plot thickens!!
BA realised that GSS might not be too pleased - to say the least - so, following 'pressure' from BALPA to implement the agreement, BA Flight Ops themselves used threats and intimidation [cancelling the freight contracts] to force GSS into agreeing to accept BA F/Os into the LHS of their aircraft. Sign here or face commercial ruin.
'But they insisted that A PROPORTION of the NEW jobs created at gss by this expansion, be allocated to mainline pilots.'
Come on.... the BACC initially wanted ALL commands in GSS and settled for a proportion very reluctantly, under duress. Furthermore, the signs are that the BACC will be after ALL commands again in the future. Also, the agreement is so one- sided that even if the contract for the third freighter is not renewed later this year, the BA theives still stay in the left hand seat of GSS aeroplanes, thus denying GSS F/Os of their rightful commands and a pay rise of £20k+ per annum.
As I said before, this deal is totally morally bereft and those BA pilots in the BACC should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
In my view, bullying, intimidation and threats are far from 'reasonable'. What do other Ppruners think?