Best Foot,
you might think you know all the is to know about employment law
I think I made my experience and knowledge position clear.
Being able to negotiate one on one for terms and conditions is fine if your in a one man band. LArger businesses don't have the time or the resources to deal individually with 100 200 300 0r more individuals
Within the context of air taxi I don't believe we should be thinking of large airlines. I think typically we will be talking of smaller business units. Even considering the large, what you say isn't strictly true according to my experience. I work for a global organisation of 80,000 employees and 15,000 in the UK. I used to work for the world's largest defence contractor. I have also worked for tiny organisations. It is true that a capable individual has more leverage in the smaller organisations, but in every case I have negotiated my own salary and position within the organisation. This is because I am being assessed as an individual and not just as a role. A line manager typically deals with <20 individuals. Calling the seniority system outdated was perhaps a little naive, I accept it maybe the best solution within larger airline constraints and philosophy.