Wizzair

[drfaust]

We get our e-training days rostered. If you are not rostered one and something is due to expire, all you need to do is send them an e-mail. I do not know anyone personally that does not get them rostered. The reasoning of the company is that they do in fact pay you for anything that is duty, and that is reflected in your base salary. Sectors are a separate payment which are there for ... sectors; as in, flying.

Whether our basic salary is high enough or not, or whether our sector pay is high enough or not, is a completely different discussion. I will be the first one to say that I would like to earn more money and that I think that in fact I should. And contrary to other people; my company knows this about me. But I will hardly sit here and watch people that do not even work here look down at us because we are eastern european or slag things they have no experience with. You need not lecture any of us about european LAW and EASA regulations. Considering the nature of our operations, I can assure you that most if not all of us are very well versed indeed in what the regulations have to say about it.

May I remind you all that most of our senior management consists of English, Hungarian and Dutch people. I am sad to dissapoint you but this is not exactly an eastern europan breeze going through this company when it comes to the corporate side of it. There are plenty of things that could be significantly improved at wizzair, but let us stick to the facts please.


So if we are already going to discuss remuneration etc. How about we do it properly?

1) You get paid for duty, in your basic salary.
2) You get paid for sectors, with sector pay.
3) Your taxes and social contributions are paid, except on a contractor deal. Which is your own choice. With that choice come certain advantages and disadvantages, much like with the new entrant deal in EZY.

All of these are defined in your contract and as far as I have ever heard have been respected.

4) Your roster or whatever you perceive is your right to a roster, is not defined in your contract.
5) Your stafftravel or other concessionary travel, is not.
6) Any extra pay considering ground duty is not defined in your contract, as the company perceives that they are paying you a basic salary to do exactly those things. This includes SBY, AVLB, or ground courses whether in the office or whether you decide to do them at home via the internet.


So if we really get down to the nitty gritty here, then let's discuss this. Both local and contract pilots have not received a salary raise (apart from captains 1000 hours increment which is marginal in the first place) for something around 6 years. It may be 7 it may be 5, I do not know exactly. The point is, in all those years inflation has not been compensated. So in real purchasing power, todays captains earn much less relatively as they did in the past. First Officer salary has no increments at all, ergo, I am relatively earning much less as any of my colleagues which has started significantly before me. Although they have also seen their purchasing power eroded, especially in countries like PL, CZ, etc.


This is an actual issue that, if our management would actually look at it and care enough or have reason enough to fix it, many more people would be happy in this company and certainly would not see any reason to complain on here about getting extra pay for standby or available duties. Considering that we are the most hardworking, productive pilots and cabin-crew in europe, that are paid the least, this is a reasonable argument to make. The things that complicates the discussion is this: bear in mind that my colleagues from PL are really quite happy to be at home and in fact this is the best deal in their country as it is. This makes it exceptionally difficult to make a reasonable argument to the firm to pay all of us more. Capiche? So if we're going to discuss wages let's do it like men, stop crying and let's start talking about the issues that really matter. It's easy to sit somewhere from a distance and just shout something when you don't know the facts.


But maybe I'm just hoping for too much from our pilot 'fraternity'.

syntax; Many of the issues you mention are very commuter specific and even change per person. Despite not being polish, I choose not to be a commuter. I do not think it is worth it for me and this company has definitely shifted the focus from contractors to local pilots. It is a strategy that has been chosen and a reality contract pilots have to live with. The economy is as it is, and this company will not change anything that they are not forced to change by the laws of economics, or by the laws from Brussels.