You guys make me seriously consider looking for a new Profession.
BA have historically had the best working T&C's, Pensions and Pay in the UK for Pilots. Every 3-5years in BA, over the past 20years or so, those T&C's have been eroded step by step.
Also historically, Pilots often worked their way up through the smaller outfits gaining experience until they secured employment with one of the larger outfits(Virgin, BA, BM, etc) thereby enjoying the improved Pay, T&C's and Pensions. Now you are laughing because their T&C's are under threat ? Unless you are content to stay your entire career as a Regional Jet/prop and don't mind them halving your Pay in 5years after they have finished wiping out the top ranks of Pilots Pay then you shouldn't laugh.
BA have 46 unions to negotiate with and having been a Privatised company still bears a lot of the burden of being a Public company. A lot of the other unions apart from BALPA have been very successful in maintaining unbelievable working conditions which harm their profitability. BALPA being a more flexible and Reasonable Lot(in the past somewhat 'Cozy' with management) have compromised most of their inefficient working practices over the years and are now virtually the most efficient LH operators in the world(stats not BS). This has not stopped BA Pissing these saved efficiencies against the wall elsewhere(70 million on tailfins come to mind).
Realise that BA Pilots are no less hard-working than yourselves. Profitability in their company is no less in their control as you have in your outfits, the only difference to the way all Pilots work to the CAA maximums these days, is the colour of our uniforms that we wear to work. Any Pilot has more in common than the pseudo management types who are eager to replace us with technology asap, and listening to the garbage posted here I can understand their point.
Anywhere where Pilots T&C's are under threat is a concern for us ALL !!! If our Profession is allowed to become the equivalent of a bus-driver we will ALL suffer !! There isn't a Pilot anywhere these days that doesn't have a legitimate reason to be dissappointed or annoyed, because we are ALL under attack without exception.
You are all acting like a hungry pack of wolves over the last few crumbs whilst your owners let fresh bread go stale. Wake Up, we are in the same Profession here. Unless you have just a few months to go as a Pilot and are worried about losing your job then realise that if BA/Virgin or any Mainline Career Pilots lose the fight to save the job as a PROFESSION, you might as well go and get a job driving minicabs becasue the pay will come down to about the same.
Everyone is looking so narrow mindily at their own little poxy job that they can't see the forest for the trees. There is a steam Roller headed toward the Pilot Profession People and unless you always wanted to be just like a minicab driver(pay and status) then you better hope that BALPA succeeds in their efforts. It is not just for selfish reasons that they are using the weight of 3500 Pilots & subscriptions (rather than 40-50) to drive home their demands for consistent Pay & Conditions.
No offense intended toward minicab drivers who would understand the situation better than some here.
PS. Amasing how London underground workers are ready to close down ops in support of firefighters strike, yet Pilots can't even support each other.
PSS. Purple un-SAGE-like
You say "We would be expected to believe that the rate for all pilots should ideally be the same. Hmm, some logic, but no realism. Does one expect the Captain of a Fleetwood fishing smack to be paid the same as the man commanding QE2? "
No and BALPA are trying to prevent the Commander of the QE2 being paid the same as a Fleetwood fishing smack. Isn't it nice to think that a Fleetwood fishing smack Capt can aspire to be a QE2 CAPT ? Imagine if they manage to bring the QE2's CAPT's Pay down to that of the Fleetwood fishing smack, what kind of pay would that leave the fishing smack CAPT on(or should I say new minicab driver)
Last edited by airrage; 12th September 2002 at 22:56.