5 RINGS
I agree with you 100% that their ability to play one workforce off against another is to nobodys advantage, and next time it will indeed probably be the "Europeans" working against the Brits.
However, I think telling someone to "grow a spine" does nothing to acknowledge that members of a Union would be very poorly placed to strike against that Unions advice & the Union would also be very poorly placed to call a strike if it couldn't be undertaken whilst respecting the law of the country in which the individuals were contracted.
Frustrating as it is for you (and as you rightfully pointed out, will probably be one day for the Rosbifs when the situation is reversed) I don't think lambasting your colleagues the other side of the Channel is the solution.
The frankly ineffectual Unions have had more than a decade to observe & react to the Ryanair situation, where effective representation has been frustrated by having people in contracts signed in different countries.
Their failure to find a solution to this, probably involving some Pan-European Union or conglomerate thereof, is the real scandal, NOT the unwillingness of any pilot body to put their head on the chopping block with no protection from their Union nor National law.
The Unity (or lack thereof) & mindless attempt to blame the UK workforce displayed here by yourself & Zoso (& indeed some of the comments from the UK contingent don't help the "entente cordiale" ) does not give me too much hope that you are any closer to Unity than your Irish flagged competitors.
"Divide & Conquer" scores another victory before the battle has even commenced.
Last edited by captplaystation; 14th August 2012 at 11:24.