Easyjet Strikes

[FBOZH]

Pilots flying from all countries in easyland unite!
EasyJet management has been ruthless in the last few years towards the pilot community, especially in the last year.
For those lucky enough not to be flying in the UK, here is a summary of what happened in the UK this year:

After creating the flexi contract in the form of CTC cadets and Parc contracts, easyJet last January stopped talking to BAPLA during Merlin negotiations, arguing that it was taking too long. They proceeded to send their contract to the young cadets, and two weeks later threatened them by email to fire them if they didn't sign.
These tactics wouldn't be tolerated anywhere except in the very liberal UK.
BALPA, in an outstanding display of leadership, when asked by cadets what they should do refused to take a position arguing these weren't on a permanent contract therefore, they couldn't be represented!

The contract now signed by all the new entrant is as follows:

-The 2010 pay for first officers is used for all calculations, without the high inflation of the last 3 years.
-The company has institutionalized the 75% roster, therefore the 75% pay!
Copilots will be working 100% in summer and 50% in winter, working the same 900 hours a year but at a 25% discount!
-A copilot joining easyJet will not see a Bonus in his whole lifetime as a copilot untill he is promoted. Bonuses were previously 5% of gross pay after 3 years, 10% after 5 years.

Luckily, although BALPA has been working hand in hand with the company in bringing down pilot T+Cs, unions in europe are reacting to easyJet trying the same tactics in Italy, Portugal and France.

There is nothing to hope from BAPLA however pilots on Italian, French and Portuguese contracts, possibly even german contracts understand that our interests are quite opposite to that of the duet MacCall/Warwick.

Easyjet's brainwashing propaganda has been very good at spreading an atmosphere of fear amongst pilots.

However we need to react in a coordinated effort and support our respective unions. We tend to be too individualistic and we know the threat, we just have to look across the channel to see the consequences. We need to support and trust our unions to look after our interests and unite our efforts!

Pilots across the network UNITE!

[wiggy]

You seem to be fairly robust with regards to BALPA and EZY, e.g. "Luckily, although BALPA has been working hand in hand with the company in bringing down pilot T+Cs,". Could I ask what is your view on BALPA's comment here:


BALPA | EASYJET PILOTS DENOUNCE NEW CONTRACT (http://www.balpa.org/News-and-campaigns/News/EASYJET-PILOTS-DENOUNCE-NEW-CONTRACT.aspx)

[ROSCO328]

If you want EJ pilots to UNITE why don't you start by putting it on the private Easyjet forum! :mad: :rolleyes:

[Thad Jarvis]

Might be a good idea to read the new entrant terms and bonus scheme too before spouting off drivel to the world :ugh:

[Leg]

We are not mind readers Ecam, :ugh: come on, spill...

[Lawro]

FB is correct.

BALPA have let down the UK easyJet crews for sometime now .


Quite clearly courting easyJet Management in the hope of achieving Managerial roles for themselves they would never accomplish through merit & attempting to sell us an RPI agreement as a great negotiating result with the 'possibility' of looking at lifestyle issues in the future.


The Merlin project catagorically mishandled by the Balpa CC last year with the core of the membership not swallowing the sellout package proposed by the CC.


Time we looked overseas at joining up with our colleagues in credible unions who look out for their members & not paying for Balpa , it's representatives & the so called CC to have numerous lunches on us !


Drop Balpa today , they're wasting your hard earned money.

[Dct_Mopas]

Wow, so much inaccuracy its startling. Pay is as per the standard FO pay (which has just increased again with the BALPA negotiated payrise), if 75% part time your hours are capped at 675 hours (shock horror, 75% of 900). Also the loyalty pay has been switched into a loyalty bonus instead, so the payment isn't guaranteed unless the company is producing a profit.

Bit confused as to what your issue is to be honest and why your information is so horribly incorrect. . .or if you are even an EZY pilot.

[Doug the Head]

BALPA have let down the UK easyJet crews for sometime now


Quite clearly courting easyJet Management in the hope of achieving Managerial roles for themselves they would never accomplish through merit & attempting to sell us an RPI agreement as a great negotiating result with the 'possibility' of looking at lifestyle issues in the future.


The Merlin project catagorically mishandled by the Balpa CC last year with the core of the membership not swallowing the sellout package proposed by the CC.
Really?! All the empty promises turn out to be just that: empty promises? Who would have thunk that? ;)

Easyjet's brainwashing propaganda has been very good at spreading an atmosphere of fear amongst pilots.Oh dear, where is Capt. Happy-Happy-Joy-Joy (http://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/462575-easyjet-pilot-recruitment-2012-a-16.html#post6798412), our orange spectacled Alexander de Meerkat to put all this right? :ugh:

[Aluminium shuffler]

BALPA sold out completely in 2001/2, so why not again now?

[Alexander de Meerkat]

Oh Dear Doug - you must have selected the hamper rather than the champagne and it has brought you out all of a tizzy. As you might expect on such an informed website as this, FBOZH has made statements that are straight from Alice in Wonderland, only less believable. It is utter cobblers to say that 'BALPA has been working hand in hand with the company in bringing down pilot T+Cs'. Nonetheless, to even make a statement like that enables the more informed among us to make a better judgement on the relative merits of the arguments. Am a bit busy right now but if I have some spare time in the next few days, I will glad to debate the issues.

[Doug the Head]

It is utter cobblers to say that 'BALPA has been working hand in hand with the company in bringing down pilot T+Cs'.Hand in hand? Perhaps not, but maybe they just totally fail to grasp the big picture?

Reading such naivety certainly brings back memories from this good old thread: BALPA - UK facing shortage of pilots. (http://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/432760-balpa-uk-facing-shortage-pilots.html#post6038678)

Brilliant! By dumping hundreds or perhaps even thousands of more unemployed and desperate pilots onto an already oversupplied market, the T&C's for the ones already working in the industry will magically improve or at worst stabilize...which incidentally is one of BALPA's prime reasons of existence! You couldn't make this stuff up... :rolleyes:

[FANS]

You can't beat a global market.

The ability levels required to satisfactorily be a FO or Cap of an A320 are not beyond the level of a good number. This extra supply has led to a fall in T&Cs - and shouldn't be a surprise. You can delay it, but you're not going to stop it and people need to forget what e.g. a "BA FO was earning in 1993."

[t211]

BALPA Is totally worthless When the going gets tough they just walk away. In my day they were called British airway's line pilots Association But they will always take your 1%. Never again. Has nobody learnt any lessons from old issues:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[Ashling]

Utter rubbish

You think we would be better off without Balpa?

Then what, replace it with what? with what resources? to what effect?

Balpa have made serious mistakes within easyJet, the Cadet saga being the most obvious, but overall they have done well, protected us from the worst of management excess and improved our conditions, Holiday Pay, the improved terms for cadets and an on time pay deal acceptable to the vast majority being the most recent examples.

1% has proven excellent value! especially as it's tax deductible, partly. Holiday Pay alone will cover my entire membership subs. Without Balpa I would have been many percentage points worse off. Works for me, so if it ain't broke don't fix it.

easyJet is a success story, and we have to work TOGETHER to ensure that continues. We have a very capable management team and a very good Balpa Company Council and it would seem that, on the whole, they are working constructively to the greater good. That is as it should be and requires effort and maturity from both, the later quality is sadly lacking in much of what appears above.

[HundredPercentPlease]

F,

What an odd chap you are.

Either you have an incredible imagination, or you are suffering from some kind of condition. I have no idea where you get your ideas from, but I shall address them for the general readership...

BALPA, in an outstanding display of leadership, when asked by cadets what they should do refused to take a position arguing these weren't on a permanent contract therefore, they couldn't be represented!

You have already been corrected on this in the private eJ forum, but I shall do it again here. This is referring to the moment when Flexicrew had an option to sign the Balpa negotiated New Entrant Contract (and get a permanent job) or to remain as indefinite flexicrew/contractor. Some pilots may have been temporarily financially disadvantaged by signing, so BALPA advised the individual to do what was best for them. There was no tactical advantage to all signing or all not signing, so no tactics were deployed. In the end all but 1 signed (and he then changed his mind).


The contract now signed by all the new entrant is as follows:

-The 2010 pay for first officers is used for all calculations, without the high inflation of the last 3 years.

Totally fabricated. The rates have been subject to the negotiated pay rises every year. The SO rate is new, and was introduced to remove the seasonality that can seriously impair the lowest scales in winter. It guarantees a minimum monthly pay after loan repayments and has been welcomed by our low hour pilots.

The SO rate was included in the first pay rise it has seen.

-The company has institutionalized the 75% roster, therefore the 75% pay!

Again, a negotiated middle ground was needed to get the company to accept the lack of seasonal flexibility it had legally created with flexicrew. Only a small number are on 75%, and they soon come off it as they gain seniority.

And you are again wrong, we have had 75% seasonal contracts for a long time now.

Copilots will be working 100% in summer and 50% in winter, working the same 900 hours a year but at a 25% discount!

What company do you actually work for? The contracts are limited to 75% hours - an absolute solid line drawn by BALPA, which nearly caused the deal to collapse.
-A copilot joining easyJet will not see a Bonus in his whole lifetime as a copilot untill he is promoted. Bonuses were previously 5% of gross pay after 3 years, 10% after 5 years.

Yet again, ferociously incorrect. See the post above for details on the bonus scheme. What planet are you on?

Luckily, although BALPA has been working hand in hand with the company in bringing down pilot T+Cs, unions in europe are reacting to easyJet trying the same tactics in Italy, Portugal and France.

Actually, BALPA has negotiated an RPI+ payrise in a climate of reducing pay, it has got it delivered on time, it has removed the cancer of flexicrew and given new starter a proper timeline and employed pay structure, it has done a decent deal on the holiday pay and now it will start on the fatigue/roster/lifestyle issues. Meanwhile on the continent.....

I see you are in the UK. Are you a BALPA member?

[blackred1443]

£35million paid out to the members in the Holiday Pay case which was funded by BALPA.
That's before I mention this years pay rise, rostering agreement, FREA, D & G support, legal assistance etc.
Not really 'useless' in my experience.

[nonemmet]

Pilots across the network UNITE!

The purpose is the precise opposite.

[brizzol]

Threads like this make PPRUNE a complete and utter joke. I hardly ever read "general threads" because of the inaccurate rubbish which can be spouted by people who just make stuff up either from pure ignorance or vicious spite because they have nothing better to do....

I will not attempt to rebuff any single stupid comment on this thread but I seek only to warn readers that it is full of inaccurate drivel which is best ignored.

Brizzol ( a very happy easyJet Captain )

[Alexander de Meerkat]

I can only echo brizzol's wise words - this is largely fantasy, driven by a tiny number of people who either did not pass the easyJet assessment or who have a personal vendetta against easyJet. There are many, many pilots working at easyJet who have a great life, are well paid, fly to great destinations and have one of the most secure jobs in aviation. I have worked there 10 years and thoroughly enjoy it. Last year we had some hacked-off cadets who went to Monarch - good luck to them. Under our New Entrant Contract, very few would go now. Other than that, with very few exceptions, the only people who leave are those going to BA or Emirates.

I work a 5/3/5/4 roster pattern - I can book a dinner party this time next year knowing I will be there. I am about to get an extra £2700 net (or £4700 into my pension) this Christmas as a performance bonus, , around £2000 in share dividends in February, £6700 in back holiday pay in March (won by BALPA - best 1% I have ever spent), a 10 year bonus paid annually in May from now on of 15% of my salary and, if the share price stays anywhere near where it is currently, around £40,000 net for a £9,000 investment 3 years ago next August. I put £125 into my Bay-as-You-Earn share account and, with the current share price, I can cash around 80+ shares in each month generating a free £1000 each month tax free. That is all in addition to my regular monthly salary. Every single UK-based pilot has those deals available. They are almost literally throwing extra money at us - it would seem churlish to refuse. Life is not all about money, but I am struggling to to see why this is such a terrible airline to work for. It is not a national carrier, but to me it is a great place to be a pilot.

[razor27]

'Last year we had some hacked-off cadets who went to Monarch - good luck to them.'

Partly because they were still being called cadets after 3 years with the airline.

[Alexander de Meerkat]

razor27 - if being offended by being called a cadet was one of the reasons for leaving easyJet and going to Monarch, then you are destined to work for a lot of airlines!

[razor27]

It was a flippant remark and I wasn't one of those guys but it's just a term that gets my goat because it's now extended to everyone in the RHS and is quite derogatory.

[Craggenmore]

fly to great destinations
Do easyJet night-stop now?

[WhyByFlier]

Do easyJet night-stop now?

Yup, a number of destinations - and I'm not talking about doing a block from another base.

[Craggenmore]

That's great news WBF.

Apart from BFS, MXP, MAD, LYS and NCE, are there are any others?

Is it still 12 hours from chocks on to checking back in again the next day?

[WhyByFlier]

I'm not based at LGW so I'm not certain but BCN, HAM, AGP in the summer (is it still) NAP from Milan, PMO from FCO.

And no most night stops aren't min rest.

[average-punter]

LGW crews nightstop at BCN, MAD and CPH soon AMS and INV will be added to that list. I've never done a minimum rest nightstop but some of the BCN ones don't have a great deal of rest. MAD and CPH are fine in that respect, but in the summer I find the early MAD and especially CPH have a very early checkin the next morning.

AGP was scrapped as a night stop.

[FBOZH]

It's quite sad indeed to see how easily the pilot community is ready to accept just about any terms and conditions in the UK for copilots that is. For the nigels amongst you, I might have been incorrect regarding the 900 hr cap for 75% rosters, how disgraceful of me! I shall rot in hell. However, yet again I notice how easily captains are happy to support the dwindling of F/O terms and conditions, the selfishness and individualism in the UK has reached heights never seen before.
I recently spoke to an english captain who was quite happy not to support F/O contracts as long as his own salary stayed the same or improved slightly.

Regarding BALPA and it's mishandling of the crisis in January/February of this year, a whole thread is needed. Some of you seem perfectly happy that the company decided to stop talking to the union. In the words of philip smallwood, negotiations were taking too long! Such utterance is just unbelievable and unacceptable, how could you then fall for the sweet talking in the engagement campaigns? The UK is the only country which has seen the company stop talking to the majority union and force a contract onto a group of pilots. Once again, the whole thing has been accepted only because the company has been clever enough to throw a few bits and pieces to the captain population, individualism anyone? Some inflation rise, some holiday pay. But the big picture is the company move was extremely bold at times of plenty. Only in the UK could they get away with it.

Have you ever wondered why BALPA is the only union who doesn't publish french/italian and Portuguese newsletters? Why is it that we are never in the know before or during negotiations. Why aren't you ever asked as a BALPA member to vote for this or that change in T+Cs? Yes BALPA has been working hand in hand with the company over the last few years and again if you think they haven't, I suggest you look a little beyond the nearby fence of your personal interests. By the way, the only reason copilots are not reacting to the changes is because they are all new and have never known any better. Some are very disappointed of course, but how can they speak for themselves whilst they work in an environment of management by threat and fear. What threat and fear? How about the email sent two weeks after the contracts earlier this year, asking copilots to sign the new contract lest they may not have a job six months later? They are mostly young people with no previous work experience and the company has used that against them.

Are there options? Possibly. How about starting a cell at the RMT? At least some real union who stands up for the whole work force, not just a portion of it and which won't frown at calling for strike when the need arises.

By the way, if you're still wondering why BALPA doesn't publish other union's newsletters, how about they couldn't get away with it? The Portuguese are asking for reward in line with their jobs, quite simply. The french for more respect of the prerogatives of the captain and for lifestyle/part-time options.

Let's hope that BALPA has not set a precedent and that foreign unions will be strong enough to support their base, i.e the F/O contract.
If you're hoping to spend some years in this company like me, you should know that YOUR long term interest lies with the co-pilots.
And for those juicy oranges amongst you, I love my company and I'm very happy to be here and not in Monarch/Flybe. But I realise the need to distance myself from the company propangada.

Finally, to clear the F/O salary scale issue, 2010 figures were used. See the extract below from 2010 figures. Captains who were too happy to get inflation pay rises in the period 2010-2013 know it wasn't insignificant!


easyJet Pilots’ Pay and Benefits – 2010/2011 Appendix 1
Basic Salary (Effective from 1st October 2010)
Captain £85,617
Captain £77,056 (1st 6 months)
Senior First Officer £51,910 (1st 6 months)
Senior First Officer £46,719
First Officer £42,286
First Officer £38,058 (1st 6 months)
Second Officer £33,827

[Ivor Fynn]

FBOZH,

No one is forcing these guys to take the contract, in fact if they refused it the terms might improve. Economics 1, supply and demand.

[Aluminium shuffler]

FOs always blame the Captains, but what are the Captains able to do if FOs keep signing daft contracts including P2F? How is it the Cpts fault? FOs need to take more responsibility for what they agree to, as they are undermining Cpts, especially when they agree to dire contracts on promotion... Cpts have no more influence over mgmt than FOs - stop hiding behind and blaming them!

[Carlton12]

FBOZH

Most of the Captains you fly with worked their way up the ladder via a number of tough routes.


The cadets of today wanted to jump the queue rather than work hard for selection or sponsorship.


The trouble you & your colleagues have is that there is a never ending list of guys who are willing to pay a little more than the guy ahead of him & take ever decreasing conditions just to get ahead , as you have done to get where you are.


The integrity of people in the industry has changed.


How can you now expect Captains you fly with to fight your corner , all they can do now is attempt to maintain their own conditions for as long as possible & I don't think that's going to be too long.

[Thad Jarvis]

FZH, you make a lot of incredibly naive statements that can lead me only to assume you have never engaged with Balpa or have been in the UK very long.
Industrial relations doesn't just beat it's tune to your agenda. It is membership driven. It always has been. We have a new CC which was elected by that membership and if you knew any of them you'd know they a very much not in anyone's pockets. The previous CC wasn't either despite the talk in corners. The current membership levels in EasyJet are higher than they have ever been as is membership engagement. Despite your claim that nobody ever gets to vote on terms and conditions, the membership accepted the last pay deal only 2 months ago with a significant yes vote...maybe you missed that one.
The salaries you have published are out of date. The SO scale is a 1 year only scale now and attracts £39216, becoming £40510 in October. Those new contracts attract the same number of days off, pension, access to BAYE/SAYE etc etc as the old ones. Before anything was agreed the CC conducted an extensive survey of all it's flexicrew members and used it in negotiations. I also have it on very good authority that if those negotiations had been unsuccessful the plans were already in place for action as necessary.
In the UK the law is stacked against trade unions. That doesn't mean they cannot be effective.. They just have to be smart. You appear to assume that because we don't down tools every time the wind changes that we may as well give up. Why don't you take a look at salaries and terms tracked against inflation since easyjet recognition then?
You also refer to an apparent unwillingness to forward European newsletters to the UK members. Could that perhaps be UK libel and defamation legislation? The last time I checked it was France who held the ePG chair too.
Lastly, if you were a real trade unionist, you'd let the membership associations sort out their business themselves instead of spouting so much nonsense on a public forum. Do you really think you'll get engagement from UK pilots by slagging off their own union on pprune? Hardly. Is Balpa perfect? No - but given the restrictions it operates under it punches well above its weight.

[Lawro]

Jarvis,

Until very recently , i was an easyJet Balpa member & can tell you the level of communication is very poor .


The CC does NOT involve the membership in negotiations at all , just hides behind a commercial sensitivity claim.


Merlin as we all know was a joke & the CC not the Company let the membership down with months of poor negotiations culminating in a half baked last minute proposal !


I'd hoped the new CC would've learned & involved the membership much more but we've just been sold an RPI pay rise with the 'promise' of looking at lifestyle options 'in the future' with little information at a time when easyJet are making record profits & our colleagues on the continent enjoy vastly etter terms & conditions.

[blackred1443]

FZH

You are LGW based, I assume you will be popping along tonight to the BALPA members surgery to make your feelings known? You clearly feel very passionate about all this so it would be a shame to waste the opportunity, no?

Or maybe you prefer anonymous incurrate rants against people without allowing them the opportunity to respond?

[Thad Jarvis]

This year we got RPI, holiday pay worth 1%, flex benefits worth 0.5% and big improvements to part time days off before the 'lifestyle' negotiations even started and accepted by the vast majority of members. Now we're getting a better tax allowance. I guess some people will never be happy.

[Alexander de Meerkat]

razor 27 - when I said, 'good luck to them', in reference to the guys who went to Monarch, I really meant it. I am only too aware it was not our proudest moment and the overwhelming majority of young pilots who left us were great people who we did not do enough to hold on to. Nonetheless, we are in a different place now and any cadet coming out of training to easyJet knows exactly what they are getting with the New Entrant Contract. It is not perfect but nor is it smoke and mirrors - if you choose to stay then you know exactly what you will be paid year-on-year.

And as a follow-up to Thad Jarvis's post, can anyone tell me of a single airline in Europe who got a better pay deal than easyJet pilots this year?

[FBOZH]

Look I don't come to pprune with the intention of having a rant or with particularly negative feelings however I do feel the need to state the obvious which is contained in my thread. How come no-one lifts an eyebrow at the very forceful methods employed by the company earlier this year? It's happened once, it will happen again.
Jarvis do you know any union that's not membership driven? We are definitely not in tune interestingly although we both hold the same position, I assume you're a line captain and both work for the same company, we do have different cultural backgrounds.
Luckily BALPA enjoys good membership but that doesn't mean everyone is happy as a member. I have spoken countless times to members who were disappointed about the lack of might. Now we all know the work law situation in the UK is not favorable however we can't keep using this as an excuse for not looking after our own. There are issues at BALPA such as communication. They have been pointed out in the past and as far as I'm aware, nothing has been done to address them. Sure you'll be asked to vote once a year on the pay negotiations. But do you feel represented? I didn't when I was in the UK.

So publishing newsletters would be libel or defamation? Without trying to be mean towards you, don't you realise you are speaking like a manager? I mean if you were in management, that's exactly what you would say to stop people from communicating. Who would sue BALPA over publishing newsletters? Cant' BALPA speak to the other unions about it? As much as I try and avoid targeting anyone personally on this forum because it's not the point, I must say I find the idea of libel completely ludicrous.

As I was pointing out above again, communication should be addressed. You have the biggest base of the network, LGW, the most workforce. A lot of pilots not sticking around, awaiting to transfer to other bases. The need for communication is great.
Meanwhile what is the company trying to achieve? Through devide and conquer? Does easyJet want us to speak about our terms and conditions between countries? No, absolutely not! And that's why we must work together to do exactly that!

Again guys, please try and avoid targeting anyone personally here, it's pointless. To answer some of you, I'm a captain, not an F/O. I don't live in the UK anymore so I won't be going to any get together. Yes I do have an interest in the unions overseas, I was in the UK recently so I've had my share of experience with BALPA and I can talk about it.
And the reason I come to the public forum is because there's red tape accross at the company and BALPA ones. And what's wrong with making our discussions public?
Again, I'm not after anyone in particular, I've spoken to reps who were great and had a very good mentality. My feeling is the culture needs to change and that's why I'm on here.