Neville, as GAFA will tell you, don't you know they've had a policy change?
It is in the
EBA for sectors over a certain time length. Policy can change all it wants but if you want play hard ball it is in the EBA which is a legal document that the company has signed. I understand people were enforcing it when the sims were in France which didn't go down to well. If you wish you ignore the EBA and accept policy that's up to you.
As for any future integration, all they need to do is negotiate something in their EBA which promises career progression within VAA, without any input from the VAA pilot group, and threaten legal action if the VAA guys don't agree - it's been done before...
Ask yourself why would VA negotiate such onerous conditions on themselves?
My money is definitely on XR and VA being separate nothing will merge there.