I will take the trouble to answer you points, and will not 'twist' anything as you suggest. You do seem to be somewhere near the truth, but not quite.
What we must remember here is this is not a fight between us personally, or indeed a fight between Balpa and the VNV. It is the UK pilots wanting to know if they have a future in their current position. They wish to feel valued for what they have brought to the company (almost 2000 years of loyal service between them) and wish to have a worthwhile career just like you enjoy. If KLM don’t want the UK pilots then let them come clean, be honest, and offer a fair payout and let the UK guys move on. If not then let us have a future, a fair future, one without discrimination and one we can work with and move onward.
Personally we are obviously looking at this from two different angles and therefore will interpret the situation completely differently. So please, don’t accuse me of twisting the facts, I have absolutely nothing to benefit from doing so, accept what I say as my view point and then please let us have your own view point and then discuss the differences as would be expected from the professional people that we are.
Originally Posted by flyburg
Management jobs and Training jobs etc being given to VNV members and not Balpa members.
This is simply not true. Every division will have two persons, one duth one british. This has been disseminated by NOTAC. If there is a lack of interest of british pilots klm can't help that but in the mean time there are plenty british pilots working in the office
Indeed each division does have two persons, one Dutch and one British (almost). The majority of the division of these jobs is senior = Dutch, junior = British. Even though the Notac suggested that it would be senior=Dutch in one division and in the other division it would be Senior=British.
Another management position was offered to a UK pilot as he was seen as the best suitable candidate for the Job, Only then he had the job offer withdrawn as the VNV did not agree with a UK pilot holding such a position in the company.
Originally Posted by flyburg
VNV insisting that a minimum number of UK pilots will leave each year (and have a written agreement to guarantee these numbers will depart which is being stuck to by KLM).
This is true and not true. The deal was made when buzz as still around and it was understood that pilots would flow through to Buzz. NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR VNV HAS ENFORCED THAT RULE. NOBODY HAS BEEN FORCED TO LEAVE!!!!
Indeed you are correct, however what you failed to mention was over 100 UK pilots have left as they have been treated so badly (aka Fokker 50 training and checking, latest rebasing excercise) - what will the next 'incentive' be that is offered by KLC management to the KLCuk pilots to 'assist' them to leave?
Originally Posted by flyburg
Refusal by KLM to recognise a current UK agreement for type equipment change at base (to 737). In doing so rebasing of all UK pilots with the associated moves for them and their families.
Dude, what planet are you living on. You work for an airline, changes happen all the time.I would love to live in Nice, maybe I can start an industrial action to force KLM to base a B737 there, YEAH RIGHT
The point here is that the UK pilots have an agreement that states they can stay in the base they are currently in and be trained into the new type that is operated out of that base. KLM changed the type and did not stick to this agreement.
If this was a VNV agreement I think it would have been followed, dont you?
Originally Posted by flyburg
Restrictions on promotion to Captain for KLCuk pilots on a 2:1 ratio (2 KLM to 1 UK).
This is a prime example of twisting the facts. Before the integration there were only 70 captain slots on the fokker 100. So if no integration would have taken place and UK would not have expanded that would have been the total number of captains on the FK100. Now, due to the integration those slots have actually increased because any expansion, the new slots created where awarded 2:1. seems fair to me as the ration KLC/UK FK70/FK100 was 2:1. Now as you wellknow, and here you are twisting the facts, due to training difficulties with KLC, more slots than would have been awarded based on 2:1 where given to UK pilots.
Keep up the ranting and you will even loose the support of pilots sympathetic to your case
You are misinformed. There were 85 Captains positions when KLMuk pilots were TUPE transferred to KLCuk.
You are assuming had the UK ‘not expanded’ well we can all make assumptions - if KLM had carried on with their plans and promises made to the KLMuk pilots then they would all be Captains now not just 10 more of us 3 years later. (There are now 95 in total – considering a lot have left and or retired its not that much expansion is it?).
If KLM had been open and honest to the KLCuk guys about their futures and given them a ‘choice’ then more than likely even more of them would have moved on and more than likely more of us would have been Captains but with a different employer by now? – Maybe they would all be KLM contracted commands by now?
Who knows, times have moved on and we are where we are – one thing is for sure it has to be resolved for everyone’s sake as it will affect us all if this strike goes ahead – passenger numbers, share price, court cases, the list goes on and on.
The ratio 2:1 was not correct with regard to number of pilots in seat/seats in aircraft/airframes at the time of integration but that is yet another issue and one that we could argue about all night. Come to think of it why are we going on about this so late on a Saturday night?
We are told the current 2:1 figures are still running within the agreed boundaries and therefore UK pilots have not had more slots than would have normally been the case – which I believe is what you are suggesting?
Finally, and one for thought, if the strike does go ahead and Balpa calls under the IFALPA rulings for mutual assistance from the VNV will you and your Dutch contracted colleagues support your UK colleagues?
Goede nacht