I really don't think that BALPA or anyone else will ever be able to do anything about the current flexi-crew phenomenon.
As a youngster who was absolutely determined to have a career in aviation and having parents who were very poor, I had to work hard at school and in other places to get into Mrs Windsor's airline. I was successfull and I had a bloody good 18 years of experience before starting on a long career in civil aviation. I was obviously in the right place at the right time for I never ever had to pay for a type-rating.
I find it quite hard to get my head around today's situation.
The wannabees are doing their level best to blame the old farts for allowing things like P2F to happen in the first place. The old farts really can't understand how the wannabees got into this situation and have allowed themselves to get into such debt in the first place. Why should any experienced captain about to retire be even interested.
I was recently directed by a friend to the Bush Pilots (in Botswana) TV series. I have to say that I am still incredulous.
Why in God's name would anyone want to spend £90,000 so that they can live as an illegal immigrant on a tourist visa in a tent in Maun for months and then go through a ridiculous selection procedure just to get the chance to fly a Cessna 206 around a lot of (not very challenging) strips? (By the way, I have 400 hours on the Cessna 206 and the Cessna 210 and I enjoyed flying them but that was for fun in my spare time).
The Top Dog in the TV series was off to Valhalla - Airbus 320 F/O in Qatar. What a result. (I used to avoid Doha like the plague).
So, what the hell is going on? Why are so many young men and women so willing to throw themselves at mosquito nets in Botswana? (By the way, I've also done Botswana, Swazi etc with Aunty Betty before you ask).
The fact of the matter is that they have discovered that having a Degree in Underwater Knitting as recommended by Mr Blair and his merry people is as much use as tits on a bull when we get down to practicalities and they simply do not fancy a career stacking shelves in Tescos.
These young people have huge latent talent which is available to any employer that is prepared to take them on but they simply cannot get a foot into a decent door. They have a great urge to do something interesting and which has a bit of a challenge (and a future). Flying aeroplanes has always been an interesting occupation and so it is that they discover the Bank of Mum and Dad.
Now, the sad thing is that modern "airline managers" are about as trustworthy as the Royal Bank of Scotland and they are only interested in the current financial week/month/year.
To a huge extent, they have invented HR (Human Remains) to do all of their dirty work for them so that they don't even ever have to talk to a pilot.
The days when I could walk up the stairs without notice after a trip and have a pretty direct conversation with Fred Laker have sadly gone.
So, what has gone wrong?
I can only guess, but my suspicions centre around the last government's aim of having 50% of the population passing out of their "education system" with university degrees. The subject did not appear to matter.
I reckon that anyone who ignored this advice and became a plumber would have made a fortune by now.
It might even be that simple. Make flying a rubbish occupation and make plumbing a wonderful occupation.
I have to tell all of the usual promising and unpromising hysterics on these forums that you are beating your gums to absolutely no effect if you think you are going to change anything by complaining on pprune. You have to do something radical.
I will give you an example; one of the funniest guys that I ever flew with was GN. He had a great outlook on life and he was also a great practical joker.
He wanted to join Laker Airways right at the very beginning (he was a DC-3 F/O with Derby Airways at the time). He was getting nowhere with the usual "send a CV" programme so he set up a camp bed right outside Fred Laker's office door and got into a sleeping bag.
Fred stepped over him for three days and eventually gave up and gave him a job. It took GN a while to get into the left seat but he was No.1 on the seniority list until the end!