What does it mean when someone claims that "times have changed" ?
This is a bit confusing to me. We still fly aircraft's from A to B. I'm still in charge of how to do my job. I set the agenda under which terms and conditions I decide is acceptable to do it. Standing up for these T&C's seems to be a problem for some. Why ? Is it because I am concidered as an overpayed slob that doesn't deserve the T&C's I have ? or is it just envy from others with lower T&C's ? If this is how managers of SAS concider the job I'm doing then please just say it out loud. Based on such a statement I would leave SAS in a hartbeat, because there are operators elsewhere that welcomes me with T&C's far better than the ones in SAS. I have no problems with airline managers trying out different structures to get an edge in competition. But if my T&C's is what's driving this company to the ground (I hardly think so) then just say it, so that I can decide whether or not to stay. I will not accept working in an environment that is constantly based on threats of furloughs everytime T&C's are negotiated. If this is what you mean when saying "times have changed" then I'm not going to be a part it. Who will then fly the aircrafts ? The managers ?
Someone recently said that "starting a war against your employees is a war that cannot be won". This is true for two reasons: 1. If the employee choses to leave and nobody is ready to take his place under the new T&C's = you have lost. (This is likely to happend since recruitment takes forever and that pilot shortage seems to be a fact worldwide) 2. If the war escalates into action, no customer is going to chose that airline, once again you've lost (In a much broader sense as well, since there will be no customers to fly even with new guys coming in) . The only way to get anywhere is to work together towards a goal understood and agreed upon by both parties. We know the "goal": A profitable company! WHAT! This is not a goal, it's a necessity for any business. A goal would be to define how a profitable business would look like in the future and then set up way to get there. At the moment I don't know how they see the future. I can only gather from recent events that managers want other companies (eastern european) to take over as much of the business as possible, to force T&C's down. That's fine with me. As long as there are or will be pilot shortage worldwide in the future there are operators that recognize this fact and is hiring at T&C's way better than SAS. I've chosen to leave SAS for exactly this reason. If my services to the company is no longer appreachiated with my current T&C's then that choice is easy.
I don't want to run the company, but I'm entitled to set the T&C's for the services I provide. If the company can't afford them, then someone else can. That is a fact!! And I'm leaving based upon that fact!