flyglobespan former cabin crew manager deputy head of training !

[Jimmy Riddle]

With SD's (welcome) departure the former cabin crew manager has been appointed deputy head of training.
Not sure how the CAA will view this,not sure how the guys will either given the track record.......don't we have any training and check pilots. :ugh:
Maybe she's there to stop instances like the most recent c*ck up......CP line training on a SFB trip when out of check himself......oh dear!

Never mind,word is that ETOPS will be back monday..... piggies start your engines! :suspect:

[Afinehelmet]

Mr Riddle,

Why feel the need to kick the company again and again?

ETOPS has been re-instated, a lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to help the company recover after last years horrors and things are now starting to change for the better.

Instead of having a go, should we all not try and pull together as a team and get this company moving forward again? It's a great little company to work for and quite frankly, I can't understand why you feel the need to make the comments you have.

I'm no "company man" believe me. But compared to my previous airlines, this is a far better place to be with great potential. Instead of being negative, why don't you put your energy into something more positve instead?

[Jimmy Riddle]

Afinehelmet
Maybe I'll stop kicking when the company I work for & those responsible for running it treat those who work for them with a great deal more respect.
How's your roster....is it 6 on 4 off....5 on 3 off as we were promised last year.....mine isn't....got 5 on 2 0ff then 6 on 2 off...minimum I call it.
When was the last time you had a nice word from crewing? When did you last check out and not have changes? They scr*w the programme around take on ACMI work then run us ragged cos they've got the numbers wrong. And if we think we've got it bad, talk to the boys and girls in the back.
Promotions have been promised then the company takes on D/E Captains instead of promoting our own guys.....a number of F/O's,some very senior have interviews and just about every Captain at Edinburgh have CV's out awaiting interviews.
EDI crews are talking quite seriously about working to rule or all camping out at Colinton till things improve.
Now either you are on a different fleet or a different planet,either way you aren't 'on message' with the people I work with.
When when things do really start to change for the better,I'll hang my pprune goggles on the bedstead but based on the show so far that's some way away.

[Jimmy Riddle]

Chill oot??
Am a lot more chilled oot than the ABZ crews taken on last year for an ABZ base then told they had to go to EDI or GLA or wherever at their own expense .....really chilled they were.....how many are still here?
Zero Captains and 2 F/O's.....result.....we all get to play the ABZ black taxi,let's face one another for 3-4 hours,game.
Yeah we're all really chilled with that little number.......not!!

[uncle dickie]

Might "working to rule" be considered to be industrial action? Without Union recognition your ability to bargin with management is limited.

Camping out at HQ although novel, might achieve more long term than the first option?

:hmm:

[Afinehelmet]

Jimmy Riddle,

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that GSM doesn't have it's issues. I was recruited last year when things all went pear shaped and like many others was faced with a very uncertain winter. I was far from happy believe me, so I know more than most about the problems that GSM had late last year.

Thankfully, things worked out and my roster is pretty stable now thanks for asking. In fact, it's been 5 on 3 off since Feb hence my optimism for the future. As for crewing, I find if I talk to them with a bit of respect, the same comes my way. And after a flight, if you're duty changes the next day so what? You're at work anyway so what does it matter if you're coming in a little earlier or later than planned? At least your days off are set in stone. At least my days off have never been altered anyway.

But can I ask what positive steps you are taking to improve things? Are you advising all your flight deck colleagues to join BALPA? I am.

As for the contractors, many I speak to are actually quite committed to making the company a decent place to be. I'm sure if there was a push for BALPA recognition, then a lot of the contractors would be happy to become PAYE employees as many of them are BALPA members anyway.

Whining on an anonymous forum is not (IMHO) the way to improve your lot at GSM. If you don't like it (clearly you don't at the minute), then lead a push for union recognition or vote with your feet.

But from my experience, there's a lot worse out there and I'm sure things will improve in the coming months. After last year's disaster and the "cull" at the top, let's give the new management team a chance.

[Jimmy Riddle]

5 on 3 off.....who are you sleeping with???
You can't be 737 or if you are you must be in MME?
As far as the cull at the top....who's been culled who wasn't involved heavily with the set up and passionately involved(as far as I saw)with the airline.....they've let the best people go for God's sake.....JF...well maybe not...TP......definately a loss....SQ ditto.....
The only decent loss was that assh*le SD,good riddance there,but for the rest,bad losses.....so what do they know we dont? What bad vibes were they privy to?
But hey its not just the losses at management levels,just look at the losses of experience down the food chain.
BALPA.....don't make me laugh......we 'voted in' a crew council and what good did they do.......they went to meetings....the big boss didn't even show....they did nothing.....and they accepted a p*ss poor salary package doled out by management.
BALPA doesnt work for tiddlers like us,only the major players,are you a member....are you ex Big carrier by any chance?

I'm looking,everyone is looking and there may well be worse out there but we'll see how happy you are next time you check out and get a mouthful of roster changes. :ugh:

[King Halibut]

Jimmy, you really should check out my airline's T&Cs before you go greeting on about GSpank!

[SpamCanDriver]

A bit off topic but does anyone know what the approx take home pay for an 767 FO is on the brookfield contract?

Cheers

[Afinehelmet]

Mr Riddle,

I got two changes yesterday to my roster. One change meant I was going into work two hours later than planned, the other meant I was going in at the same time, just operating a differant set of sectors. I don't really see the problem in that. I received plenty of warning, and other than getting an extra two hours in bed (happy days), I'm struggling to agree with your point here???? And no, I'm not MME based, I'm a little further north than that. And on the 737 fleet!!

A certain Mr O'Leary of Ryanair fame is opening up a base in edi later this year. Why not give him a call. He'll be happy for you to pay for your own uniform, medical, tea, coffee, crew food and car parking. Then out of the goodnees of his heart, he'll remove nine of your annual leave days to "create" the famous five on four off Ryanair pilots currently "enjoy" leaving you with thirteen days annual leave to be taken at the company's discretion. And you'll only be paid as and when an aircraft moves and you happen to be moving it!! There's no hourly rate there for sitting in a taxi!

There's a couple of hundred pilots in GSM at the minute and as far as I can see you appear to be the only one whining on pprune at the minute. As I said earlier, give the new senior management team a chance. Things do seem to be improving (as I can see so far).

The only real issue I have with the company is the pay. For FO's it's a decent enough deal but for the Capts, there's quite a few better offers out there. But you haven't complained about the pay yet? Moan about that and I'll agree with you!!

[Afinehelmet]

I thought it was Zenon who employed the contractors at GSM, not Brookfield. Believe it's £4300 per month gross, sort out your own tax etc but could be wrong.

[Stan Woolley]

Afinehelmet

Seriously why pick on Ryanair?

Yeah let's see what happens to your pilots when RYR appear at EDI.

I work for Ryanair and wouldn't dream of leaving to join yet another airline that has experimental rostering and by the way make tons more money than I would with Globespan.

I work 5/4 and have 28 days leave.

[Afinehelmet]

Stan,

You must be in one of the "better" Ryanair bases. Several of my friends work for Ryanair. I have seen their rosters, they look great. I've also seen my friends recent P60 and it's a far better view than mine for moving the same machinery!!

But his roster uses 9 annual leave days to make 5-3 into 5-4 for nine cycles. I've seen it for myself. He gets 24 annual leave days, minus the aforementioned 9 that are used to make the shift pattern.

He's also given me a look at the repa website. That's an eye opener!! I earn less that a RYR Capt, granted. But it's not all about money is it?

[Jimmy Riddle]

Back to the point of the original post Afinehelmet.......how will you feel when hauled in for tea and biscuits over some training issue by someone who's never held a professional flying qualification?

[Afinehelmet]

If it's a training issue that concerns a flight deck member, then the Deputy Head of Training won't be calling you, I or any other member of the flight deck in for tea and biscuits because (as you quite rightly pointed out), they're not qualified to do so!! I'm sure that duty will be carried out by the Chief Pilot and appropriate Fleet Manager.

Therefore could you pick a fault with this appointment (never seen this appointment published anywhere) that's worth debating please? The rest of the pprune community awaits with eager anticipation!!

Or, would it not be best if you took your problems direct to the Managers who can affect change, rather than cry like a two year old on an anonymous web forum?

[Scoobs]

Amazingly (not really) this whole thread is sparked by poor or misunderstood info. We have a TM, and a CCTM. No Deputy to either - yet, and no crossover of responsibility. Someone sounds paranoid about being managed, poor you. Hope your flights are more factual dude. Pprune does what is says on the tin: Rumour.

[Jimmy Riddle]

Ok Scoobs point taken,but when was the last time you(we)heard anything of a positive nature from our management....apart from the possibility of (local) pilots being offered the 'opportunity' to fly from bl**dy hot airports far away fro home for a pittance and little else?
When were you told of the current 5 on 1 off,6 on 2 off working regime,cos I don't recall that particular one. I certainly didn't sign up for this.
Slightly off topic but it's interesting that both postings on this subject of a 'company minded' nature are from pprune new boys.....or am I being cynical here ?? :yuk:
I work here,I talk to the guys and girls down the back .......it's not good and it doesn't seem to be getting better.......when it does.....as I 've said here in the past I'll shut up.......in the meantime.......why don't you two (managers I assume)try sorting things out.......prior to the heady summer .....cos no-one else....including the council are.

[Afinehelmet]

Jimmy,

I'm not a manager. Far from it.

But I just don't see this company the way you do.

[Mr Angry from Purley]

Jimmy

Move on son the grass is always green. :\

[Rugbyears]

I'll happily fulfil your role for you..!:ok:

[Jimmy Riddle]

Afinehelmet
We'll agree to disagree then,best of luck. :}
Mr Angry
I'm already looking mate,like most sensible people here. :ok:
Rugbyears
Check the above and elsewhere,you'll get your opportunity........are you sure you'd want to work a day like today with bl**dy French ATC messing with our lives. :sad:

[Afinehelmet]

Jimmy,

I'm genuinely sorry that you feel the way you do about this company and if you do move on I sincerly hope that you find a job that you enjoy and never want to leave.

However, if you do stay (I accept you have reservations about BALPA), then wouldn't getting union recognition in place at this company at least give you some solace?

Whilst we disagree on the items we've discussed so far, I for one think the Capts. salary here is a disgrace compared to our colleagues in RYR/EZY/TCX/TFLY etc and we're all moving the same/similar sized machinery.

If the pay structure here was fixed and one or two other items were "tweaked" then I believe we'd have a really good set up here. The only reason I'm "keeping options open" is because of the money. I know we're losing two skippers next month at one of our bases and it's purely down to money and nothing else.

Thoughts??

[Palangi]

Yeah ! Move on !

[Jimmy Riddle]

Palangi
So you didn't get the flybe job then? :{

Afinehelmet
I seriously have no wish to go,I live in a nice place,it's where I like to live and I work with nice people,same as you.
Not only do you and I work on similar machinery,the machinery we work on is asked to do far more and in further places than any of those you mention......and...... I don't but the crews who do operate on the atlantic deserve to be paid as well as their 757/767 compadres.........I would imagine the workload on a 737 is greater than on a 75/767 across the pond if for no other reason than fuel loads........why have the council done nothing to address this divisive action?

I have to look after number one.....I imagine so do you......from the writing on the wall nothing has been learned from last summer.....we have had an appointment(the subject of this thread)to a position to which she is ill qualified.......don't we have any pilots left for the position was my question.........so nothing will change......you and I and those who are still here come July will be working our ass*s off.

[Afinehelmet]

Jimmy,

I accept the point we're going to be worked hard over the next few months, JM's recent email predicted as much.

I didn't operate the Atlantic last year and I also accept your point about parity in terms of pay for those who were effectively flying long haul for short haul money. Not a nice position to be in at all.

Which takes me back to the point I made earlier about BALPA. If we had proper representation instead of the pilots council, then these issues would be addressed by professionals rather than (I'm sure well intentioned) people who are ill equipped to do so.

I, in all honesty, don't see a huge amount of things in this company that makes me want to leave. But the T's and C's (especially for Capts) need to be addressed otherwise we're never going to attract and retain the required numbers of experienced Capts. to keep the show running.