BOAC;
unfortunately the 'on-time' management/bonus-driven culture is wide-spread.
I know you know all that I'm about to say but I would like to offer a thought as I think the continued public discussion of this is important.
Our industry sells "time" and nothing else. So the pressure is natural understandably needs to be managed - that's the key point for the commander.
In practise, managing commercial pressures is part of what we do, just like everyone else in the chain of command. It is the balance that is the key. Experienced commanders already quietly do this without fanfare. The discussion here is important for those coming up for or who have just begun their first command either in an aircraft or on-board ship.
As a testimony to how well the industry legitimately-without-compromise works under such pressures, in almost all cases the issue being discussed is not a problem for crews and no incidents/accidents occur.
There are times, like your example, when the captain's authority to keep the park-brake set while things get sorted out and pointed out, should be exercised and the pressure to depart on-time set aside until it's appropriate to push-back.
Sometimes a reminder from the captain of who is in command is a good thing - in my view, for far too long we have let far too many personnel who will never sit in the oak chair answering the tough questions, have their say in our cockpits and have an effect upon our operation. It is a good thing to regularly draw the line where the law provides and requires.
Would that the Spanair MD82 captain (or even the F/O) in Madrid had done so.
We know that there are parts of the world where cultural behaviours and priorities do not permit this to work, and instead captains are routinely pressured by forces well outside of the cockpit to compromise flight readiness for time, MEL issues and so on. The fatal accident rate reflects this priority.
It is the regulatory authority who licences us and permits us to fly passengers, not our employer.
In the end, we provide a service under licence which has nothing to do with corporate priorities and everything to do with keeping the operation as safe as reasonably possible.
PJ2