86% of Easyjet Pilots Vote NO !

[Nil further]

News just in from BALPA ,86% of easypilots have rejected the company's pay offer . With aircraft lying on the ground everyday due no crew and people still leaving in droves , look's like an interesting summer ahead .
NF

[Handfly]

and the interest this summer will be how long it takes New Road to negotiate a sell out of their members intersts so that they can keep the chimera of REPRSENTATION

[international hog driver]

Does not surprise me. The guys at the coalface are fed up.

As to not enough crew, I am about to come back to full time flying. 4400 hrs happy to take a bond but cant even get a response. So much for competent recruitment.

I hope the shareholders are impressed by looking at hundreds of millions of pounds worth of aircraft sitting pretty against the fence!

In the past few years I have been living off my investments and if I was a shareholder of easy I would be wanting out……. Now where is the number for those Icelandic investors.

[Airbrake]

83% also stated that they are prepared to take industrial action.
Just incase anybody has not looked at this weeks Flight, BA and Dragonair are recruiting again!

Great post Handfly, now say again with grammar and a speellchucker so we can understand it!

[Brae_Cwynd]

Oh Dear Handfly, that sounds like a rather bitter post. Actually, 'New Road' won't be selling anyone out. The entire process is in the hands of the easyJet Company Council. 'New Road' will advise if requested. easy have had two ballots on pay so far and the grass roots pilots have rejected both offers. Democracy in action I would say not the sell out you suggest I think.

BC

[springbok449]

Well cant say that I am surprised either, for far too long they have ignored the cries of some of their most loyal employees, well even those employees are now leaving.
I think that EZY management have been very narrow mindedover the years, they have always been bailed out in previous times by various airlines becoming bankrupt (Sabena, Swissair, Aero Llyod, etc) but this time I fear they have bitten way more than they can chew.

Good luck guys, the whole aviation industry needs this battle to be won by the pilots to bring things back to a decent career.

[Roobarb]

Excuse me. If you want to strike, there's a queue you know.
http://www2.indystar.com/library/factfiles/news/2001/img/comair.jpg
http://www.tvradiobits.co.uk/eightieszone/Roobarb1.jpg
I’ll take on the opposition anyday. It’s my management I can’t beat!

[Handfly]

My dear BraeCwynd.

Did you spend six years of your life working as an elected rep only to find that the salaried staff at New Road had agreed a deal with the manegment despite the majority wishes of the Company Council.
I think you will find that New Road are only too happy to suggest and advise provided that the CC is going in the direction that New Road wishes.

[Chief Whip]

At last a CC & a group of Pilots willing to stand up against the constant demise of our pay and conditions. Well done to all of those who voted NO. I just wish a few other company CC's had the back bone to stand up to management and started representing their members interests.

[Colonel Klink]

Ignoring handfly's rather bitter and cynical comment for the contempt it deserves, the CC at easyJet is driven by its members and they tell Balpa what they want for their members.The representation easyJet members have had so far is beyond reproach and this is the reason the level of membership is so high. It is quite true most pilots there are fed up, but most wish to stay and make it the airline it is capable of being, despite the inept management which serves only to increase their own bouses at the expense of running the business properly and keeping well trained pilots on side.
On Septemeber 10th, 2001 easyJet had a massive pilot shortfall and was desperate. After the catastrophic events the next day, suddenly they had about 2000 CV's to filter through as airlines went bust or laid off. The management has, in its arrogance, not understood that those times are no more and for a number of reasons, easy jet is no longer the pick of airlines.
Case Number 1, CTC cadets pay a massive 60K loan (around 87K with interest) to come on board. They are paid £1000 allowances for 6 months, no leave and not accruing holidays either. Of course, these cadets go to other airlines like TCX, Thomson and get treated like normal pilots as soon as they are type rated. Our lot, bearing in mind the poor treatment, then go on 90% of their mormal pay for another 6 months, being "double-dipped" as the 10% they are docked is to subsidise training they are still paying for themselves!! Guess what?They are going to BA in droves, as soon as they get the minimum 500 hours which is about 6 months work at easy, bearing in mind they have no leave!! Some start applying within weeks of Line Training!!
Case Number 2: Recruitment: It has been a while since anyone form the Services has come to easyJet. In fact, on a recent recruiting day 9 pilots were scheduled, 5 turned up and only two were accepted. They have just recently cancelled a course at CTC as nobody wanted to join easyJet.
Case Number 3: With over 330 pilots having left since 2002, I predict this figure will increase to 400 by years end. The airline says this is an acceptable figure for which they cater for. Oh yes, I always plan to subcharter when running an airline because I cannot keep enough of my own pilots on board!!!Cabin crew losses are running at 25% as Virgin, BA and BMed soak up our well trained staff.
Meanwhile, at the first Pay meeting in October, 2005 having extracated about 15% more hours from our hard working pilots, they come to the table with an empty bag citing "no money for you!!" Having worked the pilots up to a frenzy due to their inept rostering and degraded pay, now they are shuddering in their boots as membership in Balpa has reached record levels and suddenly the airline is able to find more money in the pot to placate its pilots. What a surprise!!! The arrogance with which the management has treated the very pilots that help make easyjet such a profitable airline is breathtaking. Now we have a letter from the COO stating how their intention was to reward us appropriately all along; how can you do that with no money???.
Finally, they have grown up. The reality is that subchartering this summer will cost them dearly as up to 6 aircraft may be parked due to crew shortages. Be it on your head gentlemen as you alone will have to explain to the board how you go it soooo wrong and that rather than a reasonable pay rise costing only so much, you have now paid out far more to other airlines to keep easyJet running!!

[turrbntrip]

Nice to hear that things at least work pretty much the same as on our side of the pond...lying mgt. crying about 'no money at hand' included.

TT

[Brae_Cwynd]

Handfly,

Like you, I have been a BALPA rep. I have not found the problems you have. Could I ask you to give an indication where the problem is in 'New Road'? It would help to know if it was with the current General Secretary (or the previous one) or somewhere else in the building?

BC

[Brae_Cwynd]

Dear Handfly,

My previous post was a serious attempt to glean information from you about the 'New Road' issue. Not sure what to make of your continuing silence. You could be away on hols or a long haul trip I suppose. Please try to give more information. If you do not want to 'name names' on a public forum, please send a pm.

BC

[Handfly]

Dear Brae Cwynd,

Hols actually, but also after 40 years of aviation I have discovered a life outside it.

Could also be that when I see pompous p---s like Col Kilink holding forth I know that Churchill was correct in saying i"f you do not know history you are forced to repeat it."

Three years ago after a long campaign by the CC to improve conditions, the pilots in my company rejected a pay offer. There was a a similar amount of discontent as in this easyjet vote. New Roads response was to say that with a membership of only 56% BALPA would not countinence Industrial action. This despite the CC being 100% of the opionion it was the only way.

Three years pass, the membership increases to 76% and the pilots reject a pay offer that carries a CC recommendation.

New Road responds by saying that they can not support industrial action with so low a membership.

If you want anymore please don't hesitate to eMail, just do not put your faith in New Road. Easyjet has the same full time rep as my company so you must draw your own conclusions.

[FlapsOne]

The full time rep for EZY has, as his other brief, the largest membership company within Balpa. That has been the case since recognition in EZY. He only deals with those 2 companies.

That 'other' company has never seen anything like 56% membership levels! Certainly not in the last 15 years or more.

You therefore must be talking complete cr@p!

[Handfly]

A measured post and you are probably correct.

The rep for easyjet used to be Mr Kilne, a man who would served his members well. I know who he was supposed to be replaced by, and who was carrying out the task when me disenchament with the British Airways Line Pilots Association reached the extent that I felt I could no longer fund their campaigns to remove the cap on BA pilots pensions.

As to what I speak - if such as you are the future of civil aviation I have to say that pecunious as my retirement is I am pleased to be going

[Norman Stanley Fletcher]

Whatever the personal problems Handfly may have experienced with BALPA, I would have to say that as long as the only individuals eligible to serve the Union are human beings then problems will occur. That does not negate the value of the organisation and in my judgement, right now BALPA is the only credible hope for pilots at easyJet. I fully accept that mistakes will be made but I also recognise the considerable difficulties BALPA face. Part of their role is to choose the battles to fight - and more importantly which ones to walk away from. If BALPA would not countenance a strike on the basis of a 56% membership they are to be congratulated as that was the only sensible recourse open to them. If they had 90% membership then the situation would look very different and no doubt BALPA would act accordingly.

Since the outset of this dispute I have backed BALPA and the CC 100% - having followed all the recent events I continue to do so without reservation. I hope that the last few waverers in easyJet, who by their lack of membership unwittingly play into the hand of our managers, will now stand alongside the rest of their colleagues and join BALPA without further delay.