Why do you all seem to
blame BALPA for the situation you are in? Your management put these terms in place and if not enough of the workforce stood united and argued against the terms then you really can't blame anyone but yourselves.
It IS a catch 22; all the time you sit blaming the one organisation that
could possibly improve your lot (barring you starting a completely new one that attracts a united and significant number of members) then you are at the mercy of whatever your management want to force upon you.
Sure, BALPA in your company could do more, TELL THEM. Sure, you could do more to help yourselves. To get decent terms and conditions and more importantly, to protect them, you need to be united, otherwise you are toothless. Why is it that CSU has left for pastures greener and likes what he sees? 40 years of establishment and extremely strong membership of one body (which happens to be BALPA, but needn't be). The CC in T-Fly is strong, because they have a mandate, demonstrated through membership figures. Your lot can not improve all the time you are a disparate group, unless it gets so bad that the numbers walking sends a message to the management.
With the expansion and the lack of experienced pilots on the job market, the coming years could be good for swapping the hand that holds the big negotiating stick, the management sitting pretty all the time that the pilots don't unite and force their hand.
So what to do? Don't like BALPA? Don't like what they have (or haven't done) for you in the past? Happy to get 'nothing for nothing?' Well, continue watching your Ts&Cs slide forever downwards or pick up the baton and strive to get support for a united front, be it through BALPA or some other representative body.
There endeth the lesson!
Didn't mean to preach, but from an outsider, I think you will find it to be true; it's the same in all industries these days.....costs being constantly driven down and weak workforces having no option but to walk.....well I suppose you could always apply to T-Fly....I hear we are looking for about 180 pilots, including direct entry 737 captains over the coming months............!!
All the best to you all in OrangeWorld.
PP