To explain my earlier post -
The only body that can push for a ballot, providing they can demonstrate support, is BALPA,
AFAIK FR can't request one. By virtue of BALPA running the petition on their site they already have 10% membership, would be pointless otherwise, but short of 50%. If I were making the decision I would not push for the ballot until I had 60%+ to allow for drop outs and company lickspittles giving support then voting against in the ballot. Clearly BALPA is not there yet but MOL has no idea how close. The best way he could ensure that the number is reached is to treat his pilots like sh*t and see them log on. MOL would lose and what he has feared will come to pass. In short he's got to be nice to you but you know the mask will slip so BALPA will quietly dig away and gain support (or not) awaiting the economic upturn. I make no prediction on that one. Come the upturn, come the demands for more moolah and the campaign re-emerges.
For FR it is also good, they can run the business without having to look over their shoulder to see if BALPA is sneaking up on them, something I think they are bothered about otherwise the company placemen and brown noses would not be all over threads like this like a rash. FR also also has to keep you guys happy with an eye to the upturn as most of the BRK guys who are building hours will be off to
secure pastures new & better T&Cs. The only flaw I can think of is that MOL plans to be gone by upturn so will be spiteful but, as posted before, he is answerable to a board who may remove him before he goes too far.
In my view MOL & friends are being short sighted and probably have a very 60s and 70s viewpoint of a bunch of nutters who call each other 'brother' and 'comrade' and would strike at the drop of a hat. He is wrong. Sir John Harvey Jones invited the unions in when he became chairman of ICI saying that if unions had not been invented the employers would have had to do so. He was right and ICI became a far better company on all measurable standards as opposed to when it only had staff associations. He would find that in representing the best interest of the pilots they also do so for the company and its success. In certai cases their is more management knowledge and experience in a union than there is in the company, that is why I think BALPA would be better off as part of Unite but that is up to you guys.