In these days of financial constraints it is most important that companies look after their workforce who can make or break the company so easily. A workforce with good morale are more likely to keep customers on side by going the extra mile, whereas an unhappy workforce is unlikely to be as motivated. This seems to me to be another example of managers not managing their workforce effectively because if they were then this situation would not have arisen.
To be a respected manager does not mean that you need to always say yes to your workforce, but it does mean that you need to explain situations clearly, whatever they may be, and to lead by example. It would appear that the managers at Virgin are no different to many others in that they have seperate rules for themselves. I have read that management payrises awarded in 2008 were excessively large when the workforce were awarded nothing. That certainly is not the way to achive good morale within a company nor is it for good company co-operation. I say to all Virgin pilots I hope you achieve success as too many workers in the UK, in all industries, have been neglected by their "management", who have placed their own greed before doing their primary job of managing.
It is about time in this industry that the true value of a pilot is recognised. Managers are easy to replace and many have no real qualifications wheras pilots are highly trained individuals who have taken years to achive the level of experience required for their role. Someone mentioned that theVirgin pilots could be easily replaced. Sure no one is indispensable but I know, from first hand experience in the industry, that the majors have in the past been able to recruit some of the better pilots, a fact that should be valued. Virgin are very fortunate to have such well trained and capable pilots. As a manager I would be doing my upmost to keep this most important part of the workforce onside as they are an insurance policy to a safe and effecient operation.