Tony: Nick, glad you popped in we need to discuss a few things. Firstly, as you know, business has slowed down a bit so we have decided to cut capacity and we need to look at ways to cut costs.
Nick: I anticipated this Tony and I have a great plan.
Tony: Lets hear it then.
Nick: Well, I want to offer COS 08 to all the pilots and a key feature is that we will lift the retirement age to 65. This will enable us to keep the most highly paid pilots in the company for up to another 10 years, and also it will p***off every FO and SO in the company and let's not forget any junior Captain that ever wanted to take a base.
Tony: But won’t this combined with the downturn leave us overmanned and also stuck with some of the most expensive employee’s in the company, even on B scale Capt 17. Besides, aren’t most of them A scale pilots who have had a pretty good run over their careers?
Nick: Well, I see your point Tony, but I have talked extensively to all the check and trainers on extension, did I mention that this is a large percentage of my check and training department, and they have told me that we can’t afford to lose their experience otherwise the airline would grind to a halt.
Tony: Did you bother talking to any of the other 2000+ pilots in the company, specifically did you see if perhaps we could do something to encourage some of the younger Captains to step up and become check and trainers? Did you consider using some sweetners such resetting basing seniority at 55 or some modest payrises for the FO's or SO's so that they don't think their career earnings have gone down the toilet?
Nick: No, didn’t think of that because I trust my check and trainers implicitly and if they say they are irreplaceable then I believe them. Besides their current cost, they are the perfect employee. They don't mind regular pay cuts, they will work until they die, and they will do anything I tell them to do. Anything, just so they can remain part of the Cathay Pacific dream team. They will even eat their young. Anyway, I haven’t got to the best part, I can use this SLS thing to take up some of the slack for the over manning situation and get all the pilots paying for the over 55’s salary bill.
Tony: What about this BPP thing though? Won’t we end up paying BPP for a few hundred Captains to the FO’s and SO’s for years to come? How does that save us a cent?
Nick: Well, that won’t be a problem; they will all be on COS08.
Tony: But what if they don’t sign COS08 and more the point what if a lot don’t take SLS because you have p***ed them all off? Haven’t we just overmanned ourselves for years by keeping all these guys past 55 and not to mention shot our argument about needing SLS to bits?
Nick: Not sure I see your point.
Tony: Well, if you think it will work, go ahead. You are the DFO after all but it had better work.
