michaelbarns, you are an embarrassment to your fellow SAA pilots.
You are on a good package to fly planes, that is all. You don't have to defend SAA at every turn, there is a
PR department to do that.
The high salaries paid to SAA pilots is a symptom of the lack of appropriate management within the company. It happens to be one of the most obvious examples of inept business practise that we are all privy to. We don't know the extent of gross over-employment of incompetent people within the company, or the wastage due to inefficient ordering practises (amongst the many unnecessary costs associated with SAA), so many people will deal with what they do know. So yes, everyone will moan about the salaries paid to SAA pilots, especially when being squeezed with high taxes, new tolls etc.
Please do not for one moment think that there is no better outfit than SAA. It is a good company to work for as a pilot, thanks to SAAPA. But SAA is not for everyone, and if you slide your seat back for a moment, you will realise that SAA is a small player in the world, and (sadly) getting smaller as a result of bad management and international competition.
If you are under the age of 50, I'll hazard a prediction that you not retire from SAA unless there are some very wide changes made at SAA, and quite frankly, if those changes are made, a 10-15% paycut will be the least of your worries.
Anyway, to return to my first statement, you are wasting your time and breath, you are in an undefendable position. Most SAA guys know this, so they don't engage in these discussions, especially not in the juvenile manner in which you have conducted yourself. I am sure the guys who do keep an eye on these pages are cringing at your emotive responses. That someone of your disposition is within the ranks of the "elite" shows that the selection process is not as effective as it once was.