salad, muffins and polka ringtones
Firstly may I say that the recent pay offering is appreciated by most of the pilots, since if nothing else it is a step in the right direction.
Unfortunately, in relation to Emirates existing, and forthcoming critical shortage of quality pilots the pay rise is going to do little to get them out of the mess that they have created.
Management, many of whom have little or no credible background prior to Emirates, have had it their own way for two long, and the evolution of Emirates has coincided with what has been the worst period in aviation history, in terms airline economics, and thus pilots pay and conditions. It is in this background that they had been able to recruit the large numbers of quality pilots that they have.
It is with this same background that has led them to a false belief that pilots are a commodity that can be treated like children, and pushed around by every 'service' department within the company. The cost neutral overtime schemes, fiddling with block times, dishonest interpretations of flight and duty time limitations, flight time factoring scams, sub standard hotels, reduction in downroute allowances, decline in housing standards, ridiculous bidding limitations, increased flying hours, decreased days off at home, lack of augmented crew, lack of flight ops man management support and concern, and the atrocious disregard for our professional status have not gone unnoticed.
Not to mention other niceties like loosing your job, and being deported for giving the finger to a policeman (yes that was an Emirates pilot). Being called into the office for not signing a voyage report. Being called back to the aircraft for not completing a secure/leaving aircraft checklist. Being told by the Indian security guard that you are not allowed to have guests back to your apartment after 10pm (yes you will be treated like a 20 year old flight attendant), the heat (49 degrees for six months of the year with 90% humidity), the dangerous roads (amongst the most dangerous in the world), the lack of lifestyle issues, ext ext.
Despite this we have continued to deliver quality, professional service, 24/7.
The aviation industry has always cycled, and it was inevitable that the wheel would once again turn in the pilots favour. Rather than planning for this contingency Emirates managers have chosen to take advantage of the past situation to promote their own personal interests above the long term interests of the company. This has been exacerbated by management schemes which give financial incentives to encourage middle to upper managers to implement cost saving measures with little or no regard, or accountability for the long term outcomes.
Our own VP pay and conditions, in an article published in an Arabian business magazine rated the worth of a secretary in Dubai to be equivalent to that of an FO, and a shop manager to that of a Captain. Perhaps the same managers with their depth of human resource skills, might want to sit back and consider whether or not they would have been successful having competed against thousands of applicants to gain entry into their respective military academies, or airline cadet flying training schemes. Not to mention the years of struggle that followed to qualify, and gain the required skills, and experience to qualify for a major carrier. Please don't treat us like fools, we are intelligent, and highly capable individuals.
As one FO for a low cost carrier, down under, put it to me recently, “I went to the road show, but frankly their not paying enough”. Pretty bad when your not even paying enough to attract 737 FOs from low cost carriers.
I guess well have to get use to more colleagues who put a salad and muffin on their plate for breakfast, and have a polka for a ring tone on their mobile.