I emailed BALPA on this issue and this was the response I received yesterday:
"we need to continue to tackle the airlines that engage ‘flexicrew’, or whatever derivation emerges, on a disposable basis. We sought to do that in easyJet this summer but as you may know the deal got the thumbs down. **We are keen to return to the issue. *We are also looking at how we can stop the practice becoming established elsewhere and what we have done in Monarch and are currently balloting on in Thompsons are cases in point.
Fourthly we are working with Labour Research and our lawyers Speechlys to put together guidance and drawing on case studies. *I cannot commit to e mail all that we are doing in this project but when we have developed it further we will want to do a ‘sense check’ *with our members.
Finally we will, on the back of the above, be looking to widen the campaign and involve the media and other unions through the TUC to put pressure on Ministers and the Regulator to take a position and hopefully shame airlines to do the right thing."