Melchett - beat me to it ....
Great, so finally after the lure of the shiny new toys we're getting into the details that will make or break this plan.
As others have said...a good day on the face of it for the light blue. Now need to see the supporting evidence to see if this plan survives... manning requirements, recruiting plan, T&Cs, impact on career structure, expectation of promotion, how fast can we recruit and train the engineers, prospects for a full career etc
But a message that is being pedalled widely is the need to become more like the likes of BAe and others out there i.e prepared to accept a transient workforce who come and go and are replaced, become leaner, lose any expectation of 'special treatment' on housing, schooling, pension, 'perks', and either like it or lump it i.e accept or walk.
No problems with a tough message or with change...the money is tight and any waste needs to be removed..but is it really wise to present such a stark choice and ignore any bottom-up views. If the wider T&Cs and the overall package is not a decent one, then people will walk. This has always happened but do people understand that when they walk they take experience with them. And experience cannot be recruited. Any gap takes years to fill. Add to this, the apparent move/desire for a workforce that are on short term appointments with no expectation of a 'full career' and this will lead to a RAF that is very different to the one in existence today.
So any thoughts on what needs to change on the personnel/T&Cs side to put the SDSR plan into reality?