Guvnor,
Here's a couple of thoughts for you:
First, we are not interested in what our pay rise is relative to other sections in BA. We don't give a damn whether we get a bigger percentage than cabin crew, loaders or IT staff. What we DO care about is getting paid the market rate for what we do, compared to similar 'flag carriers' ie comparing apples and apples as one of our managers continually says. We are lagging VERY badly and the causes and results of this have already been alluded to. If the cabin crew unions can negotiate a good deal for themselves then good luck to them, but meanwhile we are talking about the pilots' deal and all these extraneous arguments are irrelevant.
Second, the productivity in BA is very high and, fortunately, our union has some excellent data to coroborate this statement. What the company choses to do with the aircraft is up to them and any inneficencies in this regard can be addressed directly to the upper echelons of back-stabbers (sorry I meant BA mangement). We have, as you well know, the flight time limitations placed on us by the CAA and, so long as it is legal, we can basically fly to these limits...there are a few industrial agreements but none of these prevent aircraft being flown at night etc, instead of sitting on the ground. Utilisation of assets is a management task and is NOT an excuse for lack of profits on the part of pilots.
As for being JUST a systems operator, you have absolutely NO idea what being a BA pilot is about and I must reiterate; you don't have a friggin' clue. We are more aware of our part in customer service than any ideas you might have and our previous Director of Flight Ops held our achievments in this arena up to the Board and proved we are worth more than every penny we get. Next time the passengers are all on board and the aircraft goes tech and you personally go row by row through the cabin to address individual concerns, organise a new aircraft and lounge for the passengers because the ground staff had had be taken away on other duties, sort out new flight plans, get transport arranged for the pax, organise your team to prepare the new aircraft to reduce delaying them any further, escort the pax to the lounge and help the 'old dear' up the jetty as they can't get a wheelchair to her soon enough and then, having completed all the related paperwork, get the flight away safely, with minimal delay come and talk to me about systems operators and button pressing. You'd be liable to end up with a VERY sore nose.
Enough.
Pontius.
PS: you've probably been asked this before, but do W and anchor meen anything to you?