Just a question but has anyone asked BALPA what they are doing about this situation. Surely it is their responsibility to represent all pilots fairly. If they are not willing to do anything then maybe all us unemployed ATPL pilots should start to mention it to them. This market is awful, the rich boys get and the workers dont. Just seen an add for companies to give pilots to airlines for free, what next. I am not giving up, I am getting angry. It is time that we all spoke out. The airlines do read these pages, so let them know how we feel.
As a side issue there must be pilots out there who know reporters. I am sure the press would love to hear about stories of airlines taking on pilots for free and not paying them. Really good for public image. It is time that we highlight this situation.
Flying Paddy I understand your frustration, but BALPA is
not there to represent
all pilots. It is there to represent professional pilots who pay a good deal of money (about £600 a year in my case) to be members. Of course, that fits the 'rich boys' prejudice you've developed, but you will have to accept that that is the case.
BALPA does lobby politicians about the training system in this country, but you can hardly hold BALPA responsible for the fact that there are many more people wanting flying jobs than there are jobs available! Or are you one of those that believes that because you have a licence you are owed a job?
You
chose to spend £x,000s on your training; no one forced you - and no one enticed you with promises they didn't keep. You could just as easily spent the money on speculative legal or medical training, and still found yourself out of a job.
If you want to form some sort of pressure group of disenchanted, unemployed pilots of limited experience, please go ahead. It might make you feel better, but I doubt it'll make a lot of difference - you can't make companies create jobs they don't need! However, the experience of organising such a pressure group may in itself be useful to your job prospects!
Good luck!
Scroggs