No fixed wing pilots when you started down this road?? Surely not. Unless this has been moving along exteeeeemly slow. The fixed wing ACN/CHC guys have been around for quite a while and I was told they weren't on the invitation list.
When the engineers in Nigeria were told of the rumours of the 'collective' a few months back, not one of the ones that I talked to knew anything about it, and quite a few of the pilots were of the opinion that it was basically invitation only.
Personally I'm of the opinion that it isn't really necessary, my experiences with unions and 'collectives' has been mixed. They usually start out OK, but then somebody gets antsy, and it all turns very militant. In the end nobody really wins. I'm quite happy with the pay and condtions in PHC. I've worked for less money and worse conditions in crappier places. But that is just me, I'm relatively easy to please. Money isn't my prime motivator, job satisfaction is. Shame that so many these days will do anything to get an extra $. I guess, for some, the grass will forever be greener on the other side of the fence.
My 2cents