Herding cats eh, I like that, you're probably right too.
The sheer diversity of individual pilots, backgrounds, length of service, pension entitlements, debt etc etc. not to mention the relatively small number of guys and gals who will actually 'stand up and be counted' probably means we're stuffed. Yet so un-necessary. Remember those times and people who did say NO. Remember Mel? Remember Flossies panic when we voted to maybe approve industrial action? BA management, not to mention our home grown fools are cowards, just like most bullies. It's such a shame, imagine as you queue at the post-office for your income support stamps and winter fuel allowance, you may see Evans, Hutchings, Witts, etc all drive past in the Merc/Jag/Beemer just back from the tropical winter hols they've bought on the strength of the bonuses awarded for keeping us all held down. You think I'm joking?
Look at Ayling - he did very well out his incompetence, and mainly because he was the architect of the first big pension ripoff when NAPs was introduced. Then Edders - he cut and cut and cut - and wow, did you note the details of the payoff? Look at Lloyd's bonuses just this year - a paltry 330K, check it all out, they make a fortune out of saving money. I have no problems with that except when it's MY money they're using to make the cuts. BA mainline are much better at this than us, more united, and have more support from BALPA. I guarantee they will win their own pension battle, because they have collectively decided enough is enough, and despite the occasional whinge from jealous outsiders, they are right. I honestly believe this can be turned around for us too, but only if we act now, just like ml did. In reality, it's probably too late, we are not united enough, and we're too used to doing what we are told by a bunch of greedy, profiteering, incompetent @ssholes. The figures quoted by Ted really tell it all, even allowing for the exaggeration. BA use a devious accounting system but even allowing for that we do very very well compared to the equivalent BAR performance. The really worrying thing is that even though we roll over, (again), and accept the shafting, WW may still decide to dispose of us because in his own short term profit/loss figures, he will be shown to have achieved a miracle in cutting losses. So what to do - well, the main reason for staying has now been removed. You can just see in another couple of years that 'unforeseen factors' dictate a greater contribution from, with correspondingly lower benefits for, that well known bunch of lazy malingerers, the pilots.
I'd love to see where we all are in five years, our so called management will doubtless be alongside that idiot TDLF in well paid and secure management positions within mainline. Me, probably abroad, hopefully in the sandpit. We shall see.
