Alexander de Meerkat,
I understand the interest of Pilots not flying in Western Europe to give up a few thousands of Euros for two years, in exchange for lifestyle and the chance of getting a permanent contract with one of the best non-flag carriers to work for in Europe. I suppose that's the profile EZY was looking for. Not local Pilots flying locally, like some people here suggested... That would simply not happen under these terms and conditions.
I can only imagine what is going through the minds of easyJet's SFOs. There aren't many other things that feel more unfair than changing the rules of the game like this. For no good reason.
If easyJet was desperate for experienced FOs, we could all understand this. But having a decent poll of FOs waiting to start their Command courses, this feels like a new direction the company is taking. And that is most worrying.
It is a shame that, apparently, there were no actions taken by Pilots and their Unions to stop this. The fact that so many Unions in so many different countries represent easyJet's Pilots, along with this being a base in a new country - where the local Union is still out of the equation - was the perfect setup for this kind of Management decision.
To be honest, I expected a firmer position from the Unions but... I guess only half the company's Pilots are affected by this. Surely the weaker, younger half. And that makes a world of difference.