Going in to flight ops management at BA has often been known euphamistically as "going over to the Dark Side", so I am more than a little suspicious of "Darkstar's" pronouncements of disunity on a nightstop straw poll. As SUV suggests, we need absolute unity of the BA pilot force to deal with WW's pensions grab, for that is what it is, so what better to undermine this than spreading the rumour that unity is lacking?
The trouble for the Darkstar point of view is that unity is not lacking -every single trip I do I meet pilots absolutely resolute on this issue - every single one. That includes BARP members and those in APS. I have not met one single waverer, and have in every case waited to hear a view expressed before engaging in the pension debate, rather than express my own and demand agreement.
BA have virtually said that they can afford to pay for pensions, but that they just dont want to. Its put to us as: "pensions or new aeroplanes"? I.e. we can either pay for the new aircraft with what would have been our pensions, or else!
This tactic was tried at Birmingham, (hi there Rob, how is management these days?!), where pilot concessions were used to "fund" 'investment' in new aircraft..............that then never turned up. Funny old thing.
BA pilots are not naive any more, and I suggest that WW has the fight of his life on his hands. If NAPS closes or goes to career averaging, BA is finished. Finished because it will be impossible to run in the aftermath of a strike where the terms are "take it or leave it", impossible to run without ANY goodwill, and equally impossible to run with contract pilots - there aren't 3000 people out there with the correct CAA/JAR licenses and type ratings, and if there were there would'nt be any BA trainers to train them, let alone an insurance company willing to underwrite such an unkown quantity.
I strongly suspect that there will be a ballot even if increased contributions are sought. BA has lied and spun to the pilots for years, as well as abusing engineering with endless reorganisations. This time it isn't working. I have never seen people so incensed AND yet also quietly resolved to defy this pensions raid.
Odd that WW seeks his fortune at others cost every time. Last time it was the Irish taxpayer with his flawed plan to privatise Aer Lingus and enrich himself with the proceeds, this time its BA's pensioners in waiting, where WW's bonus will see an exponential rise if he can pull-off the grab of the new century.
News just in for BA management and City observers thereof:
He cant.