Oh dear back to the salary argument, firstly let me just state that everyone at SAA was where you guys are now, many ex Nationwide, SAX, Airlink etc pilots working for SAA, and I myself was a SAA hater, Skygods, arrogant etc, the tune does change when you get in understandably so.
I simply dont see why people working for other airlines feel the need to comment on the SAA pilots salaries, I am sure it is hurting SAA management, if we were paid half the amount we are getting now it would also hurt management, thats because they cannot run the company properly, the SAA salaries are but a drop in the ocean of the airline expenses but I am sure managemnet would love to cut them and blame the pilots for all there woes, unfortunatley for them that is not the case. The salaries are part of the equation that they have to manage, you need pilots to fly aircraft, could you imagine if SAA went to Boeing and said those lease costs are ridiculous, we dont care if its what everone else pays to lease an aircraft it just ridiculous and we are cutting the lease payments by 30%.........Boeing would give SAA a fat toffee
Yes 80k per month is a whole lot of money and I wish I was getting that but I am not far enough up the seniority list yet, the salaries of pilots at SAA was not always good, not too long ago it was horrible, however it has taken lots of time and negotiation and legal expenses to get where the salaries are today, 80k a month is alot, but my neighbour who has been out of varsity for 3 years and is a SAP programmer takes home in excess of 50k per month (takes home) so he is paid approx 90k per month.... Part of the parity agreement (and we do not have parity by the way) is to consider equvalent positions outside of the airline, and its a huge complicated formula.
SAA guys are paid well, but is it too much or are the rest of the airline guys in SA paid to little? the only reason SAA salaries are where they are, is that the pilots at SAA have stood together with 100% membership to the union and demanded a fair wage. Nationwide and others are ripping there pilots off they are exploiting you because they know they can, because you do not stand together and will do nothing but maybe grumble to yourselves a little.
Thats it I will comment no more on the salaries, I am done trying to make you guys understand, as I have said in numerous posts above, most of the pilots I have spoken to would take a pay cut if it was necessary, but pilot salaries are not responsible for the woes of the company. The SAA pilots are not horrible greedy individules who all drive Porsches (I drive a Tazz by the way), we are just like the rest of you, and nugpot we dont keep mentioning our salaries, it keeps coming up and attacked, why justify our salaries......because its worth justiflying we have worked long and hard to get what we have.