The purpose of this thread is not to dissect the parlous financial state of DANAIR, or the unsurprising rapacity of BA during the take-over, [you don’t get a book published about you called ‘Dirty Tricks” for nothing do you?] It is to discuss the support the union will give you in a crisis, and that must include reference to BALPA’s treachery over the whole DANAIR issue.
BALPA can scarcely have totally supported BA’s disembowelling of DANAIR without prior connivance, but when, a couple of years later, half the sacked pilots, [the Action Group] took BA to court, funding from their own pockets what they mistakenly thought they had paid union dues for over the last several decades there was an oppurtunity for BALPA to make amends. The DAPAG won the court case that BALPA refused to take, but when the tribunals’ decision proved to be so perverse, ie BA was guilty of breaking the contracts, but need do nothing about it at all, BALPA could have partially redeemed itself by simply saying now we will take over the fight against this ludicrous decision by funding an appeal, impossible for the DAPAG to financially contemplate.
Fat chance. BA had suspended all pilot recruitment to add credence to the lie that they didn’t need any pilots at the time, whereas in fact they were running very short. The pressure imposed on them by this during the time taken to get the matter to a higher court could well have resulted in a far better settlement for the DAPAG than the crumbs from the king’s table that they actually received. Isn’t that precisely what you pay a union for?
If you wish to join BALPA because you are terrified of being alone in the unlikely event of you clipping a bowser at night, or you can see no other way to a training slot than becoming a BALPA rep and selling your colleagues down the river at pay deal time why not sign up, just don’t expect me to accompany you.