“What proportion of Jet2 pilots would you expect to be prepared to join BALPA?”
Very few. As posted earlier we have a relatively inexperienced workforce compared to other similar airlines. Most have not flown either for a different more mature airline at similar level, or for a civilian operator at all. They are less experienced and therefore more compliant.
And what if 50% + 1 join the T & G? Do we get some union official assigned to us to negotiate on our behalf? How is he/she going negotiate on our behalf without knowing what we want? He could ask silverhawk for advice, but what I want might not coincide with what silverhawk wants. Our union man is unlikely to have extensive experience of other operators, because the T & G don’t represent any other airlines bar DHL that I know of. Our union man is more likely to go for what the majority wants and if the majority are cabin crew then FO’s will be on £1 a sector, Capts on £2 and CC on £6 – since they work harder and actually generate income.
Rather than waste time and effort contradicting each other, we ought to form a CC. If that means by some democratic process because so many of you want to be on the CC, so much the better. If a CC was formed but management refused to co-operate, then is the time to turn to unions. Maybe the T & G, but at least the CC would have some direction over the union negotiator.