Kengineer,
I can only speak for where I work where my experience has been that many engineers who have become managers do most of the damage to their colleagues pay and conditions. It is their activities that help create the engineering 'underclass'.
The second major cause is that unions in general do not support our aspirations. In larger companies we are a bargaining chip for the unions and they have no wish to see us get shead of anyone else. The ALAE did good work but was not recognised in many places and now they are part of Prospect, (time will tell on wheather this is a good thing).
lastly as I intimated earlier we don't hang together. If in any organisation, unionised or not, we supported one another we would be in a better position. Instead there is always someone who for short term advantage will sell out his/her and everyone else's future.
Even if you lay aside any arguments about what a pilots or engineers job is intrinsically worth the pilots will always do better because they do not fall foul of the above faults. If engineers are to be valued in future they must behave as a cohesive, professional group.
Last edited by greatwhitehunter; 22nd Nov 2011 at 10:29.