Damn man, you guys got me digging through regs and statute last night 😅This was not a healthy use of free time lol. Sorry this is long but it needs laying out — I’ve linked the docs below.
There’s this common misconception that if something’s written in a contract it’s automatically legal — it isn’t. You can’t contract out of statutory law. Employment law sets
minimum standards that can’t be signed away. An employer also can’t have you sign a contract that takes your pay below
minimum wage — that’s a statutory floor, not a choice.
Pay-to-fly breaches that through
illegal deductions, even when disguised under shell companies or “training” fees.
By law,
mandatory training must be an employer cost, not a worker’s debt. A type rating might arguably be private training, but
OCC, LIFUS and any operator-mandated safety training are part of doing the job — legally they’re the company’s cost of doing business. The line between genuine private training and “operator-required” compliance is being blurred on purpose, shifting those costs onto the people who make the business run.
And yes, it
is the regulator’s job to ensure legal compliance. Under
ORO.GEN.105, operators must comply with
all applicable requirements of the State. Under
ARO.GEN.300, the CAA can only issue or maintain certificates when it’s satisfied that the operator complies with those requirements. That means the CAA has a duty to make sure operators follow
all UK law, not just aviation rules.
The Department for Transport’s own
CAA Framework Document (2023) says the same thing:
“1.2 The DfT and the CAA share the common objective of delivering safe, secure, accessible, competitive and sustainable aviation and aerospace activities and supporting consumers. To achieve this the CAA and the DfT will work together in recognition of each other's roles and areas of expertise, providing an effective environment for the CAA to achieve its duties and objectives through the promotion of partnership and trust and ensuring that the CAA also supports the strategic aims and objectives of the DfT and wider government.”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d2edd84702aacd2251cbd7/dft-caa-public-corporation-framework.pdf
The CAA’s own
Regulatory Enforcement Policy goes even further:
“Where we identify that non-compliance falls under the enforcement remit of another organisation we will seek a commitment from that organisation that appropriate action will be taken.”
https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/15394
That’s a clear acknowledgment that regulation overlaps — and that they recognise a duty to act when non-compliance falls within another regulator’s remit.
UK Labour and Employment Enforcement Authorities:
•
Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) – regulates agencies under the
Employment Agencies Act 1973.
•
HMRC (NMW team) – enforces the
National Minimum Wage Act 1998; investigates underpayment and unlawful deductions.
•
Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) – tackles exploitation and debt bondage under the
Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004.
•
Health & Safety Executive (HSE) – enforces the
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; has a formal MoU with the CAA.
•
Employment Tribunals – enforce statutory rights under the
Employment Tribunals Act 1996.
Under the
Regulators’ Code (2014),
§ 4.1–4.2, regulators must
“share information about compliance and risk… to help target resources and minimise duplication.” That’s binding guidance under
s. 23 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 — requiring UK regulators, including the CAA, to cooperate with others.
https://assets.publishing.service.go...ce=chatgpt.com
Clearly, that cooperation hasn’t worked. The government’s now creating the
Fair Work Agency, a new body to take over from EAS, HMRC (NMW) and the GLAA because the current system isn’t joined up as it should be.
https://assets.publishing.service.go...ork-agency.pdf
So even the government and regulators basically admit this is a
regulatory failure, not just an industrial one — they’re literally building a new regulator to fix what the others haven’t been doing.