The contract was appalling from day one, so why would anyone sign on to it in the first place ?
Hindsight = 20/20 vision. I'm assuming the VNV are now involved as a strike has been balloted and declared. If the contract was so bad, and Netherlands based and subject to local law, I wonder if the VNV were involved Beforehand? If not, then surely BALPA would have been in the know?? If not, then surely they could have alerted their VNV colleagues?? Either way, in a union represented workforce, it does seem very out of touch not to have new T's & C's scrutinised first and avoid this debacle.
I hear that other 'overseas' contract are poor, i.e. Portugal, but are ez pilots represented by the Portuguese union? I believe they are in Germany and strong voices were heard in Berlin recently. Given ez is a union recognising company why would they not act proactively, as we pilots are taught to do in every day operations, and consult before the fat catches fire? It does seem some managers might be out of touch with the real world. At Schiphol there is enough similar competition to be able to make a comparison to T's & C's and foresee turbulent conditions or not. That's what I presume they do with ticket pricing so why not with employee contracts? They learnt the German unions are not labradors or pussy cats, why did they think the dutch would be any different.
We see/hear talks of strikes in many EU airlines now, and not the bottom leagues. Are pigeons coming home to roost?