It is indeed unfortunate that some companies do not make the connection between a stable and contented pilot and maintenance staff, and the bottom line.
When you have a high staff turnover, the clients get the moering, expertise is not retained in-house and there are distinct safety implications. Sourcing crew at short notice and grounding aircraft because of lack of crews is expensive. Because of the high turnover, and a lack of a learning culture, the same expensive mistakes are repeated over and over again.
Losing contracts is even more expensive - the shortsightedness is breathtakingly stupid. Do you really want your multi-million dollar machines operated and maintained by dissatisfied, underpaid staff, with a high turnover? One hot section on a PT6 pays a decent salary for a long time.
Apart from that the pilots are at the most important interface between the client and the business, and the consistency and level of service they provide is an important factor in a client deciding to renew a contract or not. The client picks up very quickly when the crews are unhappy, and this is usually indicative of greater problems in the organisation. When the pilots and mechanics are contented, they contribute more to making the business a success. Both influence numerous factors, and make decisions on a daily basis that directly influence expenses, revenues and the bottom line. Penny wise, pound foolish - unfortunately some people are too blinkered to make the connections.
In the Algerian operation, one has only to compare how the Zimex crews are remunerated and treated to see why they have a contented workforce with a low turnover - could this be why they have been operating successfully in the region for years?
As steelhawk so eloquently put it, hooray for the company that gets rid of incompetend [sic] people.
Last edited by starvingpilot; 8th Jul 2006 at 22:23.