Rights Flyer - there are times when industrial action is indeed permissible such as when there are very real - and genuine, demonstrable safety issues at stake. I'd therefore appreciate it if you could provide examples of your view "that 90% of industrial strife is caused by inflexible, intransigent, and uncaring management seeking to maximise returns at any cost, not least employee health, safety, and welfare." The only dispute I can think of that would be reasonably connected with that is the current CX one.
What I would object to is the blackmailing tactics of one party where they have agreed to certain terms and conditions - and now wish to rewrite those terms and conditions. I've used the term 'party' advisedly as that in my view also agrees to management making unilateral changes.
If I employ you as a pilot and we agree that you'll be paid £x per annum with an annual increase of y% then that, as far as I am concerned is it. You willingly agreed to that - I did not hold a gun at your head and make you sign the contract. If you didn't like the terms of the agreement, you had the option to walk away.
To strike for improved terms and conditions is therefore a breach of that agreement - and from a management perspective I'd say that you have effectively resigned as you have, by definition, said that you no longer want that contract to apply. I am therefore free to take whatever sanction may be open to me in the agreement - and of course to replace your services with those of someone else.
I'm most interested to see that you attribute "mmigration, licencing and other barriers ensure that pilots are not a commodity freely tradeable on the world market, and therefore the pilot market is an uneven playing field" - the reality is that the only thing preventing the free movement of pilots around the world is the anachronistic and outdated seniority system - which is largely maintained in force by union pressure. Certainly, airline managements would be only to happy to get rid of it tomorrow!
There are of course good and bad management teams - the best around at the moment, I'd say, are probably at CO and WN. But it's a tough job and at the very top the CEO has to make decisions that will affect the lives of hundreds - or thousands - of people.
Whilst the "greedy pilots" might not be to blame for many problems, I'd like to refer you to Delta Air Lines, where the recent pay settlement with DALPA has created an additional burden of US$500 million per annum to the company's already high overhead. That amount is more than the cumulative profits made throughout the last boom period - how on earth do you think they are going to be able to keep paying it, especially during a deep recession? They can't - which means one of two things: either layoffs will be required in which case those people will be the formerly highest paid people in the unemployment office; or the entire company goes bust (unlikely perhaps in the case of Delta - but that's what they said about Pan Am and TWA 15 years ago!) affecting everyone involved.
Paterbrat - agree 110%!