Pilots' pay rises
The BBC had a report that some UK bosses were now contemplating long awaited pay rises above inflation to their hard pressed workers. In response the BBC received many e-mails from workers in various industries that told of frozen pay packets for the past few years. Inflation has been running at 2%pa = pay reduction. A 3% rise now is not a recovery, but better than nowt.
I thought back to my last 12 years as a pilot contractor. 1st 5 years flat rate with inflation 2-3%pa. After 5 years a 10% rise. This did not recover what was lost in those 5 years versus inflation, and fell back reflective to the competitive airline employees who enjoyed annual + seniority pay rises. After 2nd 5 years there was another slight boost, but same story. Still languishing behind the market. So, after 12 years of 2%pa inflation the income had risen by 2 boosts of 10% in 2 single steps. The backward steps were larger than the forward ones. And that was happening long before 'the crisis' and during a profitable period for said company. I'm out of it now, but I wonder if those airline bosses, sitting on their bonuses, are feeling as benevolent towards their hard pressed crews and engineers as the rest of UK industry oligarchs? Or will it be more of the same?