Psyclic
I am sorry that you are getting a pay cut but that it no reason for not joining.
Imagine each union member as a bee. One bee stinging has little effect no matter how hard he buzzes about. A swarm of bees stinging, however, has a marked effect on those being stung.
Management's job is to get the most work out of you for the least cost. They will try everything possible to do this as emphasised by your management slipping in an amendment to the negotiations. I bet this happened at the end of the discussions after some concessions had been won from the management and the CC were congratulating themselves and had therefore taken their eye off the ball.
The N Sea pilots would not have won the pay rise they did if everybody had your attitude to the union. We won because we had numbers behind us and the company knew that we had the willpower to strike even though this would have resulted in a personal financial loss. There were non-union members who would have worked through the strike because they would succumb to management pressure and it is these people who bug me a little as they are quite happy to take the payrise but are not willing to pay the small monthly subs to be a member of the union and have the backbone to stand up for themselves. Fortunately we had a large enough and militant enough membership, along with support from our union "brothers" in Norway, to win the day.
So all I can say is that by not joining a union all you can hope for is scraps from management's table. CHC has demonstrated, by it treatment of the pilots in Ireland that it will not award payrises across the group. Each pilot's group has to fight its' own corner.
Good luck to those in Ireland.
AP
Ps Pysclic if you are not happy with what the company are offering unit chief pilots why don't you all get together and inform the company that you are all not wanting to be chief pilots unless the allowances improve. You don't have to be a member of a union to do this!!
