It is frankly difficult to second guess what was in our managers' minds as it is difficult to imagine a more foolish way of approaching the negotiations. They have openly insulted the pilot community and the genie is now well and truly out of the bottle!
As I write there is a huge groundswell of support for BALPA that simply was not there in the past. It is widely recognised that we are facing a huge threat to our futures - not from Ryanair or foreign competition but from our own managers! In the past there was little or no appetite for a fight, but that is no longer the case. Had the company come up with any semi-respectable offer on pensions, a pay offer in line with inflation and no attack on the loyalty bonus then I think most people would have muttered under their breath but done nothing. Instead the whole pilot community is galvanised into action and BALPA is seeing significant growth through people who previously would not have darkened the door of the union (I was one of them!).
A key factor for many people has been the tremendous work of the new CC, which is being seen to act vigorously and fairly in the interests of all pilots and not just a few. I can only say how personally impressed I have been by our BALPA team who have worked tirelessly in the face of an almost embarrassing indifference towards their representations from our management.
If there are any managers out there reading this - for goodness sake pull back from the brink and come up with a sensible set of proposals that do not insult your entire pilot workforce. You have fanned into flame an unnecessary conflict that none of us wanted. We are here to make easyJet succeed and want to work with you to ensure its success for shareholders and employees alike. Nonetheless, we will not stand idly by while our future livelihoods are threatened. There is no way we will sit back and watch easyJet record a big annual profit, top managers and board members line their own pockets but we are told to take a pay cut - not now and not ever. We simply cannot afford to lose this battle however much we would rather not have it. All of our best interests are served by you getting real and coming up with a credible offer which would prevent the inevitable conflict unfolding before us.