Balpa seem to be more than a little confused.
On their
site they state this: "Despite what the schools will often tell you, there is not a shortage of pilots in the industry, nor are there signs of one occurring soon."
And yet
this was released 2 days ago: "The UK could face a future shortage of airline pilots because of the soaring cost of training, a union has warned. The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) says the number of recruits to flight colleges is falling."
You need a large pinch of salt when looking at what the FTOs have to say (at least their message never changes) - but now looks like you need a fistful when regarding the output of the nigels at British Airways Line Pilots Association.
With the recent tax changes etc and continued movement to the sandpit, they look a little concerned about a drop in subs meaning the cosseted lives of the officials may be at risk - so lets drop a u-turn and convince even more lambs to the potential bankruptcy courts.