Well, as for Solenta it seems like the saying "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutly" rings true. To give Solenta a fair chance I guess they have given some young guys still wet under the wings some great opportunitys, flyings turbines and relatively good pay considering their experience, but thats where it stops!!
Any aspiring pilot searching for a job in the SA commercial aviation market will by now know the Solenta must have one of the worst reputations ( if not the worst!!!) when it comes to the way they treat their pilots. If you don't believe it just ask one of them. I heard they stack their pilots in the cheapest semi decent accomodation they can find in Africa, sometimes two to a room for three months at a time, then I heard they don't pay S&T to them and then to top it all rumor has it no fuel has been paid to supply their cars so they can get around. No worries for a Solenta pilot they will gladly sleep in bunk beds and ride donkeys to work so that the MD will never have the displeasure of having to resign from the wine club and play only 4 rounds of golf a week at an up and coming golf estate.
With regards to the ATR courses well it must be confusion all round because as far as can be gathered the requirements for the ATR course seem to changing daily so much so that I am sure that management does not know what the hell an ATR is. I believe they have hired overseas pilots with as little as 350 hours to fly there deliteful ATR's but then tell their own employees that they need ATP, mountains of multi engine turbine time, and all sorts of other ridiculous qualifications to become co-pilot on the aircraft. Of course these requirements are known to miraculously disappear in certain cases.
I have seen how these poor pilots operate up there, remember that at the end of the day your pilots are your bread and butter, they are the ones flying semi servicable aircraft through some of the most trying flyings conditions in the world, all so that Solenta can make money and if it was not for the dedication these pilots Solenta would not be where it is today.
So Mr Negotiator ( and any other relevant aviation management!), why don't you stop firing ( or retrenching as you call it!) your poor pilots just so you can make an extra dollar and begin to see you employees as assets, give the local (SA) chaps a chance to move in there careers, maybe they aren't the most qualified in the industry but they are certainly not going anywhere if you don't help them. I am sure that it may cost you money but I bet you some of the results will surprise you and the money you have spent on your crew will result in greater productivity and general increase in the wellbeing of your company.
PS- NO EMPIRE HAS EVER BEEN BUILT ON UNHAPPY PEOPLE!!!