Been busy , so first time to reply. Lots of interesting comments. Before I start, it is not the persons that matter in this, it is the functions and how to achieve them.
Firstly, comments about the peerage and good life at BALPA HQ.
If only ! I can’t speak for company reps etc, but I expect it is the same for them. You do get the odd day off to do stuff for BALPA, but it does not come for free. Loss of FHR, allowances etc, means a net financial loss for sure. Because so few want to do the work, the few that do have more to do than time to do it, hence doing it on days off etc. Not very popular with the “domestic authorities” ! That is probably the biggest reason why things don’t happen or don’t happen sooner. So the answer is the in the phrase ”don’t think of what BALPA can do for you, but what you can do for BALPA” and things will happen quicker!
As to finances, one was under the impression that a finance committee was the oversight for that, the NEC being the “big cheeses” who watch over them., but obviously some think otherwise.
As to degradation of terms of employment etc. Apart from a few lawyers and that select bunch who inhabit the FTSE 100 directors circle, just about everyone has had a relative decline in things, but an absolute increase as well. Over the last 10 years, most have gotten better conditions for most things. Anyway, the negotiation and so forth is as I mentioned, done by your elected reps, not the staff, who merely support and advise. That has to be advice in a UK legal context. After all, how many of us here in the UK think that the US FTL’s are safe (8 hours rest, 16 hours duty I believe) why have the US unions not managed to get a UK type FTL? Probably because it is not possible legally etc, perhaps someone can answer.
On to flagging out, I can only say, how many of you pay over the odds for something you could get elsewhere for more ? Anyone here refusing to buy a personal import car because it is 25% cheaper ? It is not nice, but it is the real world. And if it is legal to do so, business owners will do it in shareholders interests. We as employees don’t count, but shareholders do. We sit and whinge about it and then as group go and vote for the party that believes it should be that way ! An interesting thought.
As to the comment about JAA FTL’s . BALPA is at the front in this issue and it is MG who is banging the table for us, as he has done for years, but unless you happen to have put your own time into coming forward and doing the pretty thankless task, you would not know about it. If any of the commenters here would like to devote some of their OWN time to helping , I am sure he would be more than grateful ! By the way the same goes for the technical bit at BALPA too, any warm bodies with an interest and knowledge and mainly enthusiasm, welcome !
As to negotiating what, for who and when. My own understanding is that the Gen Sec, whoever they are, are merely professional supporters and advisors (there are others in the team too) to the Company Councils etc, who are elected by us. The role of the BALPA staff, headed by the Gen Sec, who is responsible to the NEC (not vice versa!) is to provide us pilots with professional advice so we don’t screw up and land the membership with a huge legal bill from time to time, as would certainly be the case if some of the more “off the wall” ideas were followed! A word of warning about this, you cannot transfer what happens in other countries directly to the UK, because legislation is not the same. Thus, aspects of scope clauses are enforceable in the US but certainly not in the UK. There are others too, hence you need to be careful.
What do you want in the Gen Sec. Well firstly define the job and then you can find someone to fill it. Probably need a person who knows their strengths and weaknesses and knows how to overcome them. Administration is important, but knowing “the man who can do it” whilst at least understanding what needs to be done, is probably good enough. I say this because I feel that the most important characteristic is that they be someone who can mix and represent BALPA at the highest levels, whilst keeping them organisation running along the lines that the various elements of the NEC have instructed him/her to do. You need someone for example, who can walk into a room full of airline chiefs of varied backgrounds and speak as an equal in a language they understand, whilst at the same time understanding what your leaders (the NEC) want you to achieve. They need to be someone who will give the best advice, even if you don’t like it when the brown stuff is about to hit the fan, so you don’t end up standing there with something worse than mud on your face! That is, knows when we need to stop before we make prats of ourselves! You need someone who, when the part timers are not around (the whole of the pilot input to BALPA I hasten to add!) can fire fight and keep the organisation positioned as well as it can.
How you select and appoint that person will be an issue. How do you job interview someone with a potential 8000 interviewers ! Given it is really a staff position, one wonders if an election by the membership, based on a manifesto and some political lobbying is really the best way to go. I did not see BA shareholders get a vote on Skippy ! A decent in depth selection process would be a better bet.
There is democracy though, as the NEC is elected and more frequently than any Gen Sec and they are a suitably sized body with access to information and expertise to enable a rational and robust decision and appointment process. I am amazed that the new Gen Secis under the impression that he will be handling the selection of his successor. This is unusual to say the least in any organisation and seems at odds with the concept that the elected representatives, the NEC, as the board of directors so to speak, give employment to the Gen Sec and thus direct the operation of the Gen Sec, not vice versa. The concept of junior staff being the ones who select candidates within the organisation for selection and election by the BALPA members as their boss seems a bit odd to me. One hopes that there is no concept of a “by grace and favour” of the previous incumbent here. By the way it is only a 5 year job, so not for life for anyonw Perhaps therein lies some of the answer as to the fate of the last one, a misunderstanding of what the job was by a lot of people and who really calls the shots. I suppose the comparison is, that we don’t vote on who the Head of the civil Service is going to be, the Government we elect just appoint them. Limited term contract give an opportunity to say ”au revoir” if things go wrong.
A bit long, but may get a few reasonable comments and get people thinking logically rather than emotionally !
Martin
P.S A psychologist would have field day with all of those aliases , I mean “BOAC” does leave much to the imagination as to their leanings, or does it. I suppose Hugejet could be an AN124 driver though!!!