I R Baboon,
Can I just say thank you.
Amongst all the drivel written on Pprune these days, it's nice to find a post: interesting, insightful and coherently written.
Superpilot
One professional career is upheld by one of the strongest unions IN THE WORLD, the other by old rich farts who are only interested in serving the upper elite of BA and other legacy carriers.
The people who constantly wheel out the same old criticism's when referring to Balpa are the one's who have no idea how it works, and are clearly not members.
'Balpa' are the company council reps. They are the guys/girls you sit next to who are trying to improve things for their collegues, and could probably really do with your support. 'Big Balpa' are the umbrella organisation who your reps will go to when they need legal/professional advice.
Balpa appears strong in BA because our reps enjoy 95% membership. Do you see the link?
BA pilots make up less than 50% of the total number of Balpa members and hold as much sway as any other company.
How about you join Balpa, support your reps and stop whining about the hard one T & C's enjoyed by other companies. You might be surprised what a bit of solidarity can achieve!