Right my turn!
Firstly the letter to BALPA has just created more problems. I've seen it at work and I'm very surprised at some of the people who have signed it. There is no way that I would lend my signature to such an appalling piece of illiterate rubbish. It is full of emotive language, idle threats and old clichés. It is a complete and utter load of bollocks.
The author of this and the signatories have together managed to undermine the BALPA negotiating team, split the workforce and enforce the management view that pilots are basically disorganised and divided. If the author is who I think he is then I wish he would make good on his continued threats to leave. I'd personally give him a lift to the train station to make sure he goes.
Face the facts, both companies will have to give the workforce a good pay rise but only for one reason and it will have nothing to do with the BALPA negotiating team or with badly written letters. The pilots are now, at long last, voting with their feet and there are very few new pilots available to take their places and that's it.
Collective Friction's point about the gagging clause and BALPA is well made. I think that at the next BALPA meeting it should be raised and answered. MSF doesn't have such a clause so why have BALPA agreed to it?
[This message has been edited by Rameses III (edited 16 June 2001).]