MANBLK, even I understand it and I am blond...
We are welcome to fly the open sky 757 as a DEC!
As a present you get a number on the BA list on top.
You are not at all intrested in mainline BA, so you will put that number in a drawer and it will stay there forever. I on the other hand might use my number to get a LHS on the A380 in twenty years time.
Balpa is happy as well because there is nobody undermining mainline T& C's, because when I move to A380 it will be on mainline T&C's.
BA doesn't want us on the list because they want to bring in cheap(er) pilots and than expand as much as possible through open skies.