Indeed why should BA pilots be able to impose a scope clause on an independent company? I don't think they should and will welcome the day that BACE is a wholly independent company. Then they can have whatever aircraft they want. But whilst they're a wholly owned subsidiary flying in British Airways colours with BA flight numbers then their on our patch. This may amaze you, but BA has got to be succesful because of the hard work of its employees. Sure, the company got a lot of breaks after privatisation, but it didn't go the way of Olympic, or Sabena, did it? It is one of the biggest airlines in the world and it got there entirely due to the efforts of all the staff to ensure that BA is a reliable, punctual, high quality, safe and trusted airline. That position is in no small part due to the flying staff of BA who have invested their future in the company. It may further surprise you that in the regions BA pilots work under the hardest, most productive scheduling regimes in the company, as do the cabin crew, and many of the ground staff took a pay cut to ensure the bases had a future within BA and to fund 26 new A319s for the regions.
Then what do you know? After all that effort, Johnny-Come-Lately CitiExpress turn up and say 'I want your base, your routes, your aircraft, your customers, your brand and your opportunites. Why? Because I'm cheaper'. And that is the crux of the issue. You want the opportunites BA staff worked hard to build, whilst you've contributed nothing except an annual franchise fee. Its BA staff who built that network and its their right to expect access to the opportunities they've built for themselves. You want to fly a 100 seater? Then fine, call yourself BRAL, take the BA colours off your aircraft and go find your own customers. But whilst you cosy on in flying our livery and helping yourself to our customers then you can expect opposition from the BA pilot body. You may think your current airline is only temporary employment and one day you might hope to move onto bigger or better things elsewhere. Well there aren't many elsewheres left in the UK, and by opposing this creeping outsourcing to cheap labour we're trying to ensure that there are still better opportunities around for those who might want them, rather than working for peanuts 'cos the lowest bidder always wins.