COS 08 concerns
I have just read the recent COS proposal and am somewhat baffled as to what we actually negotiated, considering the current record profit! Credit, however, in someway shape or form should be given to the negotiation team as they really don’t have much support (55%) from the pilot body. In my mind, we should walk away from the table immediately and concentrate on membership recruitment, but I’m kind of hoping this issue could be the very thing to boost our numbers. Mmm! A number of issues here are blatantly obvious to us all, however here are my thoughts.
I immediately read 6% over 2 years. Let’s just think about that. No pay rise in 7 years, add these 2 and you get an exceptional 0.67% per year. Admittedly the 7 in that percentage makes it look better! Let me just state one thing. I came here as an expat! I didn’t come here to eventually retire in Hong Kong. I cannot use local inflation figures as I am an EXPAT! I need to use domicile figures. If the economy is booming in my domicile you can rest assured that CX is making cash in that market on currency exchange, of which can alleviate a warranted pay rise. I recall receiving a lot of information from the AOA pre talks, concerning domicile inflationary figures, currency movements, pays and lost compound interest we should be achieving. Needless to say, I thought there may have been a figure markedly different to what I read.
I see the COS 08 UFO starts at a pay some 25% lower than we have now, and only achieves current FO1 or better at year 5. Forget compound interest. Some S/O’s may say ‘so be it’. This is a major degradation from our current COS! We have the ability to and are currently recruiting Pax FO’s on FO1 – Day 1. This is a reshaped C scale!
Also, US FO pay will reach current pay over a 10 year period. Again, degradation! What about lost compound interest?
A scale to 65. Fair for A scale BUT, what happens to B scale? There are a number of issues. An immense delay to command for one! NC has worked these figures in a different post. Compensation is the key but bypass pay stays at C1, regardless of time and there are no C benefits (travel etc.). What about SO’s – No bypass pay with these A scale extensions?
Consider your 54! You weren’t going to extend, but hey, A scale continues. What are you going to think? - Cream! I’m thinking lets take a base with my seniority number and do up to the 10 years on the base. Do I need to ask when a relatively new Captain could get a base? NEVER!
Another issue is that FO’s are unable to take a base until SFO1! You can do the sums.
With all due respect to the Negotiating team, we must consider that our team are Pilots, NOT professional negotiators. I know these guys have done the IFALPA course but we need a professional or 2 to score points where none of us would have looked. The company bought Sten! We should do the same.
All I ask is those of you not in the union, please put aside your grievances, join (it’s cheap) and have a say. It seems bizarre, on an issue as important as this to leave it to the gods and not be able to vote one way or the other, and then blame the union for the outcome.
B Scaler. I would like to hear your views?