Wh...Wh... WHAT!!???
Do you mean to say that people who are current employees at Virgin Blue are paying for their own type rating??
YOU GUYS MUST BE BLOODY JOKING!!
It's one thing to get a type rating as a condition of initial employment but for current staff to be expected to subsidise their employer's operation, that goes beyond the pale. You might as well chip in for the fuel as well.
I take it the commands on the E-Jet have been allocated with a willingness to pay as the determining criteria for promotion, rather than qualifications, experience and merit.