Spot on Krusty...
They all read from the same play book. Sit at the IATA conferences swapping notes.
Am reliably informed some carriers are 'testing the market' in the middle east...
As I said in another post:
In demographics is destiny...
As far as one employer in Australia was concerned Oldmeadow had the divide and conquer strategy set up nicely..
Wait for business cycle to turn, otherwise drag out 'negotiations' then when things turn down push for advantage, threaten that pilots will be sourced from Botswana second XI, or simply invent another subsidiary to threaten the pilot group, who ultimately continually folded....
Wash, rinse and repeat...
Sadly for management, their assertions about the 'globalised nature of the industry', as a way to drive down costs, have another side an equally powerful force that means they are also competing for supply on a 'globalised market. '
The market will clear, but sadly for management, the endless easy victories will come to an end. Rest assured the Treasurer of Australia ( a former research director of the property council) yesterday suggested to stop apartment prices falling due oversupply, that more foreigners can be 'attracted' to buy Australian apartments and protect the developers. They will ensure that the 457 visa system and whatever other construct, including kicking the can on CAO 48.1 will be considered in order to avoid any notion that supply will increase when the price rises (better pilot contracts) Their effort is futile. You simply need to look at the demographic age spread in Australia and indeed all the western world to realise they made a critical error when smashing pilot remuneration:
- A lot of time and money to acquire the skillset to fly RPT aircraft
- Not everyone has the aptitude to do the job
- The market for pilots is globalised
- Every western economy faces the same problem: an aging workforce, big expenditure commitments and less taxpayers in the generations following...
...
A good commuting contract will cut the Achilles heel of Australian carriers.....
Ultimately whilst claiming free markets, most employers don't really like them!