Morno,
If companies require certain skills off their employees they should be training their employees, bonding does nothing more than push that cost on to someone else, either another company by hiring only those who already have the skills or their own employee's by bonding. Its greedy and I believe unethical.
By pilots and engineers accepting bond agreements for training THAT THE COMPANY REQUIRES TO OPERATE they have caused the current situation, companies can have their cake and eat it too.
No need to consider paying employees what their skills are worth if you whack a bloody great bond over their head, employee's cant leave because they cant afford to pay the bond because we pay them crap. If they dont sign a bond we wont give them the training that would qualify them to leave for a better position, and since we pay them bugger all they cant afford the training themselves.
That said, if you do sign that bond, ethically if not legally you should honour it.
Unions should have knocked this bond crap on the head right at the beginning.
I cant imagine anyone suggesting a prospective RAAF pilot or police officer should pay a bond for their training.
Ducks for cover.
