Seems like a good deal at Easy now, but how long has it taken?
I think if you look back it has taken less than a year. How? Well, after years of being crapped upon they finally organised themselves and all joined BALPA and united behind their CC. They gave them the mandate to go to their management and tell them "enough". Once they rejected the pay offer with a whopping majority the management knew they had to offer something much, much better, and they now have. Just think where their terms and conditions could be now if they had all joined BALPA even just 5 years ago........
Just think where the JET2 terms and conditions could be within a couple of years if you follow the example of airline pilots with established BALPA recognition like BA, Virgin, Thomsonfly, easyJet etc etc etc......
Dream on if you think the T&G is going to do anything beneficial for the pilots. You are going to be dragged into pay deals where your 'high' salary will be pitted against the 'low salaries' of the non-skilled workers. You will have NO muscle to negotiate anything higher for the pilots because no non-skilled workers are going to unite behind the 'Prima-Donna' pilots when they demand increased basic pay, sector pay, duty pay, tighter rostering with block window protection, decent positioning transport, better crew food, medicals paid for, better quality hotel accommodation, structured pay-scales, increased training emoluments, a decent pension scheme, the list goes on and on.
Explain to me which non-pilot members of the T&G would give their reps the FULL SUPPORT and mandate for them to negotiate increases in ANY of the areas mentioned. Can you see a ground based non-skilled worker on a wage not too much above minimum wage backing the call for a Hallmark Mercedes with Chauffeur to position a pilot from Leeds to Manchester? No, neither can I.
Your hopes and dreams of bettering pilot terms and conditions through the T&G are deluded. The non-skilled workers will perceive it to be a better deal for them having the pilots on-side, but it works (or rather doesn't work) the other way around too; how many pilots are going to give the reps their full support over a pay claim for non-skilled staff? Would you be willing to take industrial action for a pound or so an hour on a non-skilled workers basic pay? I mean no offence to the non-skilled workers, but that's what it boils down to. We have different outlooks on life, different perspectives on our working conditions and it is like trying to mix oil and water. You are doomed to failure before you start.
I still wish you good luck though, you'll need it.
PP