In order of hours..
NSF
ezydriver - I am not advocating the maintenance of the status quo. I am simply saying that we can only fight battles people are willing to take part in. Right now, temporary commands and flexi-scheme employment practices is not what people will put their hat in the ring for. Disappointing as that is, that is where we are.
Cmon-Pullup
Sorry if this sound egoistic from our side but we all have to look after ourself as a group before we can start to help every other guy who would like to join. If we don't - then the T & C's will just be eroded to the unbearable, and it is already hard enough to just keep what we have at the moment.
Zippy Monster
From the debate going on here, it looks like that minor issue might be the one that gradually sneaks up and bites everyone on the behind.
Zippy Monster may well have less hours than most of us here were born with but he has a great deal more foresight.
I agree 100% that Easy is a good port in a storm - indeed, one of the best. Like storms, recessions pass and the sun peeks out again. I believe then that Easyjet will no longer be the employer of choice for many current employees of Easyjet.
If these practices become widespread in aviation, or even universal, think for a second what it will mean to you if you choose to move on.
At least should you not decide to leave Easyjet you can remain secure in the knowledge that all this flak will hit those below you, whilst you're safely insulated by virture of your time in the company.
Afraid not. As NSF points out, nobody is interested in this fight. Pullup accurately reflects the sentiment that people look after themselves first. Zippy hits the nail on the head by suggesting it will all come back and bite arses.
If you thought the denigration of terms was limited to these cadets, you're wrong.
They used to get a full time job, now they don't - big deal.
Already a professional, flew an aircraft that was under an arbitrary weight, you coughed up for the rating - big deal.
You became a captain, now you don't get a full time position - big deal.
Don't you see where this is going?
Instead of splitting hairs over who is worth defending, old cadets, new cadets, pay as you go, current FOs, SFOs, about-to-be-captains, just-made-captains, been-captain-forever - why not consider that drawing the line at the bottom is best for all?.. Except that a surfeit of chips on shoulders mean it'll be a sleepwalk to the bottom.
Posted it before, and worth posting again:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.