I turn my sail to the wind... a song by a turncoat.
4EJ,
Just as I suspected you are a communist.
I dont know if you noticed, but communism didn't work. Capitalism did, or should I say is still working.
You know, it might be news to you but your union, did do a lot to create the situation GA is in at the moment. a Union thats fed and maintained by those that don't really need it. a Union that help to create the situation where the rich, retired, are used to create a situation where employee abuse is condoned, advancement is stunted, and the acceptance of a subsidized income is given as the norm. A union that protects the wealthy and allow them to take away from the less privileged.
Lets call a spade a spade.
Your union, has never raised an eyebrow to any currently employed airline employees, that offer his services in the GA market, or does it?
In fact all the currently airline employed, pilots that I had to fly with the last year in GA were infact all members of "The UNION"
Your union has never spoken up against very rich bored retired ex 747 captains, supplementing their massive pensions by working as Captains for Nationwide, Mango etc. upon reaching retirement age or have they.
Due to this practice and the lack of advancement Nationwide FO's are moonlighting to make ends meet.(just look at he requirements for P1 at Nationwide. It was written to fit one of the fossils!, Maybe by one of them as well)
Your union has made sure that the average pilot age in SA is much (or should I say very much) older than that in Europe and the US.
Look at he salary differences between the the National Carrier and the "other" Airlines. From the salary structures of the respective companies one could surmise that the National Carrier is the highest profit earner, by far. But low and behold, one could not be further from the truth. They have the strongest union though!
Supply and demand, will ultimately determine whether Nationwide will survive, whether 1 Time will start canceling flights due to crew shortages, or whether Mango will become fruit juice, not by having a strong union or not.
I will state here that if the National Carrier were to be subjected to normal market forces, unless "the union" can convince their members to take a 50% pay cut today, it wont see Xmas.
Market forces are already determining that GA companies are already moving their salary structures to a point where it will be a hard choice to leave, to join Nationwide, Safair, or 1Time. Unless it is subsidized, or done for the lifestyle. The next step is that those will have to all, up their respective salaries and better their employment practices to recruit crews, and prevent current crews leaving to GA!
None of this will be done by a union.
Wake up this is 2006. Not 1921.
And my friend, turning your sails to the wind is not an admirable trait. It shows a lack of character.