Thanks TRSS. Your post had some good points too (seriously), until about the 6th paragraph and then it all disappeared in a haze of harps and propaganda. If you toned down the rhetoric people might actually listen more.
...the optimum solution, to avoid any redundancies or compulsory unpaid leave, was to share the winter service reductions around the pilot force by asking, not telling, us to each take a calendar month off, preferably over the winter.
How cosy and agreeable it all sounds. That sounds remarkably like scaling back the quantity of flights. I notice you didn't discuss the likelihood of an arbitarily reduced hourly rate for your contractors. Also a little defensive there about compulsory BRK contracts for new joiners. I believe the EU are looking at employment of contractors. Be interesting to see their take on the stipulation to join via a BRK contract.
Perhaps they worked on the basis, amongst others, of seniority - LIFO: essentially the CC, comprising no doubt a cross section of the most senior pilots, would hardly vote themselves out of a job.
The criteria are negotiated by BALPA, LIFO is mentioned in the employment contract. The company would want to reduce pilot numbers at least cost - base and rank - they had to talk to BALPA. There were NO compulsory redundancies.
Now I'd like you to think the unthinkable. How exactly would a similar exercise be handled in Ryanair? No rhetorical BS now - it was obviously a consideration this winter. What representation would your pilots get? What would be the formula for working out who goes? Do you need to do any of this stuff anyway - you have a massive pool of contractors working for you?
There's enough anecdotal evidence out there of Ryanair's very top-down style of "consultation". It's consultation in name only.
rather the pilots take a balanced view and negotiate directly with the company.
must take ages having individual negotiations (2000+ pilots). It's a wonder anything gets agreed.
EZ seem to be building a head of steam. Their pilots are reaching a tipping point in what they'll accept. They probably only see a further chipping away at their employment terms. The only way their objections will be heard is through their union.
Generally pilots have a vested interest in their respective airlines doing well. I don't know of any airline that has failed because of it's pilots. Generally, managements come and go but pilots (if the airline is any good) tend to stay. Management ideas go in and out of fashion and don't they just lurve reinventing the wheel?
Often one of the things preventing the management of an airline driving said airline over a cliff (mostly in the name of short-term efficiencies) are the pilots through BALPA. That there isn't a huge union presence at Ryanair isn't IMHO something to brag about. There isn't a brake on plans - all of which may be very laudable and efficient, but still end up being bad in the long-term. There are no checks and balances. Now credit where credit's due. It doesn't seem to be doing you any harm at the moment (please no propaganda - we can refer to your previous posts). That doesn't mean that it won't in the future and the culture of union bashing is so entrenched that I doubt it would be possible to change.
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