"Failure to be able to meet one's commitments as a parent, missing parents' evenings, school plays etc etc, in my book are a denial of Human Rights."
I can't help but smile. Have you ever seen what happens out there in the human world ? Just watch the news or pick up a newspaper. I can't actually recall a human rights news item about a middle class airline pilot who missed a school play or a parents evening !
Even people with what might be termed 9 to 5 jobs are often unable to attend all such functions and others too, for a whole host of reasons.
I have been doing this job for 25 years and have more kids than your average. I often have to miss a school event because of the job. I had actually assumed that would be the case when I started out. Most of the time "Mum" does the honours, as we work as a team. When we want to discuss the offsprings progress most schools are more than happy to make time available for a discussion on a one to one basis.
I have always thought that my job has actually enabled me to provide a very high standard of living for my family. It enables us to do things that many other families might struggle to achieve. Families are adaptable things and tend to mould themselves to the realities of their members.
I agree that there are a great many nuisance factors in this job. However I rather suspect that is the case with many other lines of employment. I suspect that it also beats unemployment hands down!
Roster changes are a feature of the job in many airlines, and as fascinating as it is to speculate on the reasons for them, the reality is if you are on a work day, then as we all know anything might happen. Most changes are now notified by e-mail so we can watch them supercede one another. It is only the last one we ever carry out.
Whatever "Human rights" may be in "your book", I doubt that Article 8 of the European convention used that as its point of reference, but even if it did and you elect to test it, I am less than confident you will be sucessful.
I am reminded of my late father who served in the military. He rarely knew where he or his family would be from one year to the next. There were good and bad aspects to that, but as anyone might argue, that was the job he elected to undertake. If you really hate the lifestyle and failed to understand what it likely involved, you could always seek different employment, either with another company or in a different career. Unless of course that would also infringe on your "Human rights" in some way.
P.S. I have just read your "interests" on your profile. I rest my case !
