What's this guy smoking ????
The South Africans will take the job just to get an Aussie passport. Once they've got that they'll move on to something better.
The cadets will take anything just to get airborne, once they are marketable they can either buy their way out or do a runner. Cathay here we come.
Forty cadets fresh from school with the ink still wet on their licences are right seat material only for the immediate future. How many qualified captains, or those they can upgrade in six months are joining ?
How does he expect his pilots to stick around when he refuses to pay them properly ? Money isn't everything, but try buying a house and raising a couple of children on REX wages. These days new CPLs are turning their noses up at $50 000/year C206 jobs.
25% attrition is approaching the rates seen in taxi driving and real estate. It's not acceptable in an airline which needs stability to maintain safety.
"They would have left anyway, so why pay them more ?" Same catagory as:
"You're getting hours" When instructing
"You're getting twin hours" Charter job
"You're getting turbine time" First kero burner
"You're getting jet time" Low cost carrier
"You're new so you start on the 'B' scale" Airline job
"You're lucky to have a flying job" Any employer in times of pilot surplus
"Which would you rather be doing ?" Employers response when comparing your wages to truck driver/baggage loader/refueler etc.
Prehaps he'll learn when he's paying contract companies $130 000/year per Captain as he won't have any of his own.