SLT,
Having looked at your posts I assume you work for Virgin. If you want to know the real lowdown on Dan-Air there are plenty of ex-Dan pilots there on both fleets. You may think 14 years is a long time, but of what I have seen of Balpa unfortunately it still has the attitude that unless you are 100% guaranteed of a win then don't bother. Great if you are like the former Gen Secretary who was all mouth, salary company car and bonuses, but actually did not achieve much. (Was got rid of by a membership coup of sorts). Not so good if you are the line pilot who assumed in a situation such as the Dan-Air one, that his union would do its utmost to protect his job. Here are a few facts:
FACT - Pilots were made redundant out of seniority.
FACT - The most junior Captains on the right fleet and base were still made redundant even though they could have been checked in the RHS. BA could still justify running sim sessions to check on a few pilots they thought might not be their sort!
FACT - BALPA advised the pilots that the case for unfair dismissal was unwinnable and would not pursue it.
FACT - When the pilots group won their case, Balpa tried to jump on the bandwagon.
FACT - The TGWU backed up the groundstaff and won their case.
For this particular case BALPA may as well as been on BA and Heseltines side, because they ducked out a fight they should have stood upto.
p.s my position in this. I was in Dan ops, was a Balpa member at the time, and also one of my family was lucky to be on the right fleet at the right base so went across to BA.