which only illustrates that the whole scope clause is rather shaky, since what "BA owned" means post IAG is unclear
Which is probably why BA ratified it legally during the Openskies mess whilst looking aside at the long term strategy of forming IAG as an umbrella company.
Those looking to 'blame, accuse and villify' the current piloting community need to understand the ruthless nature of the business at the moment and into the future.
The extension to the paypoints for new joiners was, i'm afraid, inevitable. BALPA and the members of the BA group are fully against the formation of a 'B' scale as far as base and pensionable pay goes. The increase in the pay point increment time scales is equivalent to fiscal drag and thus, over the long period, will result in a reduced income over the entire employment period.
As has been posted very eruditely by Mr Benoulli, we in the company are very proactive in protecting T's & C's for the entire pilot community but there are some things that have to be given in negotiation and the spectre of a 'BA Express' at LHR is far worse than having to give up PP24 to PP34 for which we will be taking a cut in other areas (SH and LH) and loosing 2 days holiday and foregoing future Holiday pay accruals. Without wishing to be too blunt I think you would be very lucky to find ANY private company where current employees would fight so hard to protect the income of future employees who have the option to join or not.
As to those who complain that they want what they were promised, well welcome to the real world guys. I wasn't expecting the massive productivity increases, shortened turn around times, reduced rest, reduced report times and the 7% pay cut that the last few years has bought. It said nothing in my contract that I would be earning less in 2010 that I was in 2007 whilst working far harder. It didn't have anything in my contract about being shafted by HMRC by loosing my Tax Free Allowance. It said nothing about my pension contributions being radically increased to get the same payment as the pension schemes were 'raped' by an underhand, tax grabbing, chancellor. Life isn't fair but we can make it as even as possible for ourselves. BA WILL NOT WAIVE PP34.
BA can forecast these savings way into the future. What I am interested in is what are the BMI guys giving for all these future securities? Rest assured that it will not only be the piloting community giving in this lot. There are alot of other areas of the operations that can be (and will be) trimmed. It's useless to look at ME,ME,ME and perhaps think instead at how the extra slots/aircraft could lead to expansion at Heathrow whilst the weak Government gets it head around expansion and tha abolition of APD. We have to survive to provide future securities and that, at the moment, will be no mean feat.