It's a maximum of 5% to be decided shortly when it is determined how many people take the VSS. It is a maximum apparently.
However one must also consider that 5% was the exact amount of the payrise that was fought for long and hard for alot of years. Further consideration must be taken with regard to the fact that the crews forwent a payrise last year 2012, which was supposedly meant to be 2% and part of the latest negotiations that took place to assure pilots would finally be tracking the rise in costs of living. This request of foregoing the 2% was from the company to BALPA. I believe there was meant to be further discussion of a payrise this year, 2013? Perhaps an employee could clarify this?
It seems to me that it is about time that management took a hit and should lead from the front for a change and earn some respect. I believe that >/ 7% over the last 2 years is more than enough especially when it will be so hard to claw it back again.
BALPA suggest that they have agreements with the company and profit clauses etc so that crews will be able to get the paygrade back again but only if profits or crews are hired. The money lost however is supposed to be an investment in the future of the airline under the guise of saving their colleagues from redundancy. It all sounds a bit dubious when you consider that the company are ruthless in these matters and no doubt would have found that the action they wanted to take was possibly going to attract costly legal attention and therefore could fail. So why not take the 5% to pay for the moving costs of their colleagues and the legal research that may have taken place during the delay of information that seemed to occur to these guys/gals.