That is what you have: potential. The refueller is probably at max increment and can't make anymore money in that job.
The problem is that with the advent of the low-costs (unionized or not), this potential has been significantly decreased.
A lot of low-cost pilots can brag all they want about 'how much they earn' but if you add things like inflation, working hours, benefits, pension, health care insurance etc, and compare it to how much the average pilot was making
before the advent of the low-costs, then the picture isn't that rosy anymore.
So far I've mostly observed this thread, but I've drawn two major conclusions out of this whole mess;
1) Slowly but surely it's
finally becoming evident that low-cost airlines are
not career airlines. Many cadets, perhaps partly misled by the rosy/orange picture drawn on by some PPRuNe participants, probably
thought that they were buying a ticket into the fast lane to a steady and lucrative career airline job, but this mirage has now completely disappeared. Welcome to the real world folks!
2) Most pilots (again, unionized or not) who were already working for these low-cost airlines have woken up
way too late in order defend T&C's and stop the rot/cancer. Up to a point (and I can't believe I'm saying this) I have to agree with The Real Slim Shady in his criticism of BALPA. During the
good years they have done little to nothing to stop these cadet/TRSS scams from happening, thus allowing the thin end of the wedge to be inserted. I joined on the TRSS scam, and I was always surprised at the passive "just pay the 23k and be fat dumb and happy in a career airline" mentality from my colleagues and also BALPA. Yes ok, I also signed on the dotted line, but at least I tried to fight for change from within, yet nobody appeared interested at the time...
Now it's too late, Pandora's box is wide open and there is little to no leverage during a deep recession to change anything regarding these shameful 17th century working conditions. And I'm afraid it will only get worse....
