So let me see if I have got this straight about what is being said and what is being supported. In essence:
“temporary summer pilots is the solution”
The result being:
Dry leased aircraft to Canada for the winter that would result in both LHS and RHS pilots being laid off or LHS pilots being demoted (because of seniority) and RHS pilots having some free time. Or, just F/Os going to and from the UK and Canada, with LHS seats being filled by nationals, who are then either laid off or demoted during the quiet periods.
Whatever way you look at it temporary summer pilots, be they either short-term summer Captains followed by demotion in the winter or F/Os on a summer only contract is an extremely poor solution. It would be the first step to pilots being recruited on transitory contracts in the same way that cabin crew are. I would be surprised if any individual would be willing to accept such a contract unless they were desperate or prepared to pay over £30,000 for a type conversion course. Temporary contracts do not usually attract any of the benefits that are part of permanent employment contracts and need to be avoided like the plague.
The preferred way forward, as expressed by the majority on this thread, seems to be to deny permanent employment opportunities to others while looking after number 1.
What is quite patently being failed to be grasped is the fact that the agreement actually creates full time permanent positions in both seats for each airline. And if you don’t believe me ask a member of the MYT CC who have agreed the policy with management for a good number of years. It has also been known for a member of the CC to go to Canada for the winter.
This winter the plan is to send a number of aircraft and if those aircraft were not to go it is quite plausible that the company could decide that they were surplus to requirements and either return them to the lease company or dry lease them to another airline. There would then be a requirement for further redundancies. The Canadian flying would undoubtedly be done by our competitors and the flying that those aircraft would have done next summer could then be subbed out to the likes of Monarch, Excel and others.
There are far bigger issues to be tackled than this misunderstanding that has apparently so wound up a number individuals, who have not taken the time or the trouble to adequately research all the issues involved.
For those of you who may have taken part in the web chat a few nights ago or since read the transcript on the TCX/MYT portal it would be far more advantageous to concentrate on ensuring that we are all working to the same contracts of employment, (because at the moment they are quite different), a common scheduling agreement, day off payment scheme to name but a few. Because, reading between the lines of some of the answers the Company may be prepared to start operating differently.
Do not allow yourselves or the CC to become distracted by an issue that will, in time go away.