Folks, we live in an age of instant gratification (a self explanatory term) and Selfish Capitalism (the actions of a very small group of individuals who will happily destroy the lives of a large number people in pursuit of ever increasing profit). This applies to all industries, but I will concentrate on the airline industry.
The only way to stop this, is with collective action (i.e. via unions). As I have experienced, the current unions are incapable of looking after the long term interests of pilots. This is because all they really are, is a specialised financial services company,which sells legal protection cover for pilots. There is no incentive for them to actually protect the pilot workforce as a whole.
I believe that it is time start a union (geez, I never thought I would say this), that has both pilots, and the industries, long term health as it's prime objective. It will NOT provide legal protection (a separate company can provide this). It WILL negotiate pay and T's and C's and any issues relating to the long and short term health of the pilots and the industry(this will include training/recruitment issues). It will be strong enough to call for action when it is needed, and not back down until the correct solution has been found. A membership subscription of £10-00 per month would be payable to cover administration costs. It will be internet based for quick delivery of information and casting of electronic votes.
A lot of companies are being run accountants, and by their nature they cannot look beyond annual results because, let get real about it, their jobs are on the line if they do not produce the results. Simple really. They do not think in terms of "short term pain for long term gain". Selfish Capitalists with a dash of instant gratification thrown in... Some balance is needed.
The only questions I have are:
1) How do I start this union?
2) How does does one get members?
Last edited by bluelearjetdriver; 26th January 2009 at 23:36.
Reason: I added some stuff