BALPA union or pilot club?
Fellow Aviators.
I would be interested in the views of UK pilots past and present on BALPA. The question being union or pilot club.
The view I have based on 30 years in the industry is as follows:
The complaints I hear frequently about BALPA are as follows:
1. It is often said to be a BA pilot union but this is unjust as BA pilots make up less than 50% of BALPA pilots.
2. BALPA is inward and failing to deal with issues at the heart of union 'raison d'etre' such as occupational health or flight safety issues. perhaps the issue of aircraft cockpit smells and fumes and the best example of this point. On one hand the newer IPA now at 2000 members seems to be doing exactly what unions should do, fighting a serious occupational health issue and investing in research to prove exposure and members of a gloabl group tackling these matters sitting beside the TGWU (now 'Uunions unite'...?) who have equally been very outspoken on these matters and who I have been advised by a CSD friend are running legal cases against BA for crew illnesses. The TGWU are also fighting hard on these issues I am told. BALPA on the other hand I am told by a spokesperson for HQ tell me support the COT work. A surf of the net has revealed to me a paper put together by the Government which looks like it was written by a child. BALPA support a report which my friends says pilots do not have to report these smells!!! Surely a lie? The son of a fellow Hamble friend tells me BA have not done any Risk Assessments in these regards and BALPA are doing nothing. The more you dig the more interesting it gets. I am told the head of this global research group (name escapes me) is reported to be a former BALPA NEC member who set up this group of over 500,000 crews yet BALPA are absent. This makes me feel that BALPA on this front is a failing to protect our colleagues. In fact the ongoing smells at FlyBe seems to be weekly stories in the media. My cousin flew the 146 for Dan Air and he was complaining 20 years ago...this has to be BALPA' biggest failure.
3. Work Time. BALPA have tried to bring change but again have failed, work practises in many UK airlines are seriously different from the big companies like Virgin and BA and here BALPA are failing again.
4. Drug and Alcohol Policy. This has been a good sucess for BALPA and they should be commended.
5. Climate Change. This recent initiative to try and claim its not our fault is pure nonsense. BALPA should never have taken this view but workedmore to find solutions.
I have outlined a few points and would be interested in your views. But for an old timer I have to conclude that BALPA seem to always put the industry needs first even if it is at the detremint to its members health or the planet we all live on.
Many say many are only in BALPA for the insurance on that dark winters night.... A neighbour and former KLM UK pilot tells me his friends are sick (from oil fumes) and asking BALPA to help but silence and inaction is all that is happening. If we don't fight legal battles for our sick friends and former work mates, then what's the point.
BALPA I fear is no longer a union as we hoped it would be.
Gents and Ladies, what are your candid views on the matter?