La Amistad - Some captains care, some don't. How many there are of each, I don't know.
BALPA itself has used the "Cadets do it to themselves... if the lemmings line up, it's their fault... stop signing up for the scheme and it will go away" arguments.
What it has not done and refuses to do is go for representation with the agencies. It has wasted 2.5 years on this action when delaying the effort makes it harder to do.
It does offer support to individual contractors but it has no bargaining power. This is as much to do with its own choice of actions as anything else. It is not trying to get bargaining power.
What it is now doing is going for what looks like an easy win. But at incredibly high future cost. It is trying to actually seek the legitimisation of pay-per-hour contracts INSIDE easyJet, and it is pursuing a strategy of negotiation with the company whereby current permanent pilots may have to vote in such terms while they simultaneously vote for their own pay rise.
Such few words have been written in response to direct questions and criticisms about this scenario as to make BALPA's position on the Flexicrew matter seem lacking.
The trouble is, cadets are the ones with the least knowledge, the least power and the most to lose. They ave a part to play in this, but they are not the only key players.
Real information about how crap the situation is in easyJet is only coming out here in recent times. And it's only a few who post it.
It's easy to know what should be known when you're on the inside, and I can say now that even those on the inside don't all know the full picture.