I would bet my bottom dollar, that ever since the last pension valuation three years ago, BA have been hatching their plans about which working practices to target, and how much money they will make from those plans. They have similarly been planning to reduce our pension benefits as much as possible.
They are being less than forthright, by leaving these working practice attacks (and hence savings), until after the pension deal is struck.
This time in three years time, when the new pension deficit is calculated, and we have had three years of serious profits (even though with the shambles that is BA, we quite frankly do not deserve them), we will all be scratching our heads and wondering what has happened!
BALPA cannot second guess what is going to happen, just like BASSA cannot - although they are trying to. All BALPA can do is protect us as well as they can at this moment in time. Anything short of the maximum amount that BA can afford right now, would be a total failure. Personally I think we should be pushing for more than they can afford, and explain to the trustees that whilst it does not look like BA can afford it, they will be able to by the end of the year... Perhaps we could lose the planned benefits at the end of each year, only if BA have not made above a certain profit?
No chance of that though. Because otherwie, we might just as well leave the benefits where they are now. BA looks like it cannot afford the deficit. But in reality, by the time they are done with their cost cutting (at the passengers expence I might add, they will easily be able to afford to pay).