For those of you that feel the need to accept low pay rises, let me explain why it is important to ensure that you make hay whilst the sun shines.
It takes a great deal of time, effort, and money to become a commercial pilot. There is no easy way. Very few obtain sponsorship to achieve their goal, and even if you do, it involves about 18 months hard study with little or no income, usually followed by a period of employment at a reduced salary. There is no easy way to become a commercial pilot.
I progressed through the flying instruction route. For reasons outside my control the economy took a nosedive in the early 1990s (I did not vote for the Conservatives). This was co-incident with my obtaining my first professional licence (a BCPL) and instructor rating. Saddled with several thousands of pounds of debt, I could not get any work flying for several months. I drove round flying schools, wrote to everyone in the universe, yet still no work. On several occasions I was asked "Will you work for nothing?". I never considered this option as I believe that no professional pilot should stoop so low. Eventually I cane across some work on a hourly flying rate, and progressed until I financially had to find a proper job.
When my experience allowed, I upgraded to a CPL/IR with a frozen ATPL. Now I had a proper licence and was in the market for a proper job. So, what were the employers offering at the time? Cityflyer a £9,000 salary as a F/O in Gatwick. You could not afford to live in Toxteth on that kind of salary. Others demanded that you pay for your own type rating.
However, I stuck to my principals and eventually made it. I was 4 years after I had my frozen ATPL that I got my first commercial flying job, and I did not have to sell my sole to get it.
So, what is the relevance? That during the early-mid 1990s, times were hard, pilots two a penny, and companies, from flying schools through to airlines s c r e w e d the pilots for every penny that they could. Salaries went down, yet inflation continued to rise. We were an easy target, and the managers knew it. That some sold their sole is a discredit to the majority that stuck by their principles.
What I am not preaching is revenge. It is merely that when times are good we have to stick together in order to preserve the conditions that we have at present, and perhaps regain some of the ground that was lost in the last downturn, both for ourselves and those that will follow in later years. Failure will result in a gradual errosion of the conditions that we currently enjoy.