Manager Watching
 

Actually - I'm not a Manager - but if I was, I would be watching what you are all saying on an open forum and I would be keeping my powder dry.
Be careful is all I'd suggest..............

Good advice Arfur. Double edged sword though. Where do you vent pent-up anger ? Public forums are not bad and the Professional forum is likely to attract considered opinion along with ill considered statements. Venting in the local pub often leads to ugly brawls ! Definitely, keep it out of the Flight Deck.

I had the misfortune of working for a UK bucket & spade company based at an outstation. Being a big-mouth, I " vented" much criticism but was warned by a senior that HQ had "long ears" & that the outstations were full óf people ready to drop me into the poo, often in order to advance their own status ! Gosh ! I clamped up .

Readers will be disappointed to note the troubles lurking at CX, a once mighty company high on the list of potential employers. Venting on a professional forum does give insight and might even assist those in facing career choices.

Recent joiners know what they signed up for. Old hats might well wish to fight what they perceive as erosion to former status.

As an expat in one company, I had to live with the reality that not only could I not change anything, but, my input was not welcome anyway ! I enjoyed the flying, signed the Tech log, took the money & went home. Faced with my fave tipple, a bit of Miles Davis & a pretty chick in the same room worked.................................for a while.

Good luck to all & keep it off the Flight Deck.

Freebies to management
 

Not only are they watching, but they're getting free negotiating intel by getting pilots to fill out their survey!

If they get a sense of what we are satisfied with, they'll simply "take it away" and make up some bull**** excuse like "FRMS" or "FATIGUE" or "SMS" during negotiations and then give it back to us "in a modified form that satisfies FRMS FATIGUE SMS" as a sweetener at a later date to make us agree to their deal.

If they know what we are not satisfied with, they'll just pile it on during negotiations to the point that there is infighting amongst groups and the union will have to acquiesce! Think Split duties, 18-30hr layovers, consecutive late night duties etc...

Don't fill out the survey.. .NOT NOW... NOT EVER.

They can get a sense of what we want through our only unified voice.. the AOA.

True that sirhcttrap!

Wake up people, there's always a plan behind everything they do upstairs, never out of "your" interest, the only time they really care about you is when what affects you would affect them as well, then they genuinely care, out of their own interest, not yours. Somehow we as pilots were deemed irrelevent when they conducted such survey last time around, all of a sudden they care about what we think now? Here's what I think: Take that survey and shove it, I have better things to do than help you negotiate against my team.

Exactly. Why now? Funny about the timing. It's all about the company and certainly not about the welfare of its pilots.

Three out of ten for that one, tony. How are those English classes coming?

Very sound advice! :ok:

F#ck management. And of course they like watching. They also like watching each other bend over and grab their ankles in the Board room while bonuses are being dished out. They like watching each other's old wrinkly executive asses walk by the jacuzzi as they relax in some queer toffy tennis club. And they also like watching each other's messages popping up on 'grinder'!
Maybe they can watch their bonuses being eradicated by everybody ensuring maximum fuel burn is unleashed each sector?
And if they are watching me now they would see me giving them a robust single digit salute!

No guts no glory
 

The pilot group hold the keys to the bus.

Management's hopeful fear will keep the bus running (full and on sched).

Tony Tylor
 

HISTORY:
Back in the middle to late 90s when Tiny Tallstory...sorry Tony Tylor was the mismngr for corporate coms...he was famously quoted in Flight International mag as saying "Pilots are tough to manage". This was as a result of a request for comment as part of an article about the ongoing interminable industrial issues between CX and its Flight Crew.
CONTEXT:
Outside a well known bar in Wanchai (Joey Blanas) the evening of St. Andrews day, 2 grown men, 1 dressed in full Kilt Attire the other in a DJ/Tux screaming loudly at the doorman.
NARRATIVE:
As I approached the scene...I needed a beer....I recognized Tiny Tallstory/Tony Tylor as the main protagonist in the altercation. Additionally, he was thrusting what looked like a CX corporate credit card in the poor doorman's face screaming that only CX mismanagers were issued these cards and that should be verification enough to be admitted without having to pay the HK $200 door charge. CX employees were offered entry to the bar without having to pay the door charge on producing a CX ID card at the time. Recognizing that it would take some time for this fracas to resolve itself, and in serious need of more alcohol, I went to the head of the line and asked TT what the problem was. I used his name to address him which obvious made him feel at ease enough to explain what the problem was to me...I had actually never met the man before. After his particularly inebriated recount of his version of the facts I told the doorman (an acquaintance) that I would pay both their door charges. I apologized for the hassle and we were all let in. Hey, we've all made arses of ourselves in Wanchai right? On entering the massively crowded bar I made my way to the front and ordered drinks for myself, TT and his friend who were gently swaying some distance behind me. After the drinks were placed on the bar I picked TT and friend's drinks and handed TT's drink to him and said..."there you are Tony, see, we're not that tough to manage". At which point TT scowled, grabbed his drink away and walked off...not a word of thanks or acknowledgement, nothing.
CONCLUSION:
Tiny Tallstory/Tony Tylor....you were a complete plonker back then and you are still a complete plonker now.
Bang

My one and only encounter with TT came on the crew bus from the terminal back to CX City on an early Monday morning. I gathered he was returning from Manila with his 'friend'. Anyway, this was my first trip after 9/11 and a NY layover. The city was basically deserted and the street vendors were selling their tourist knick-knacks at a discount. The mood was pretty grim. We happened upon some American flag neckties and decided to wear them for the rest of the flight back to HK. Ground staff at the NA ports loved it. It put some much needed smiles on some very depressed faces. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished at CX and said bus trip back to CX City and our gross disregard for the uniform came into question- not directly mind you, but by being called into the office of some mid level hack to be dressed down for our horrible breach of uniform etiquette. And yes, it was TT who made the big stink. What a freaking worm. Didn't have the stones to call us out, but made his flunky do it. Sad.

Manager how about you get off PPrune and do your job and work out why the roster hasn't been published yet!

productivity
 

Slight change in management thread but..Seems RH is after some productivity gains for the meagre pay rise, were the ground staff asked for productivity gains for theirs? They get 4 weeks leave and have public holidays off, doesn't RH get 6 weeks aircrew leave and also public holidays off, don't see him up there on weekends either, should he lead in productivity and reduce all managers leave to 4 weeks plus one day for each public holiday they actually fly or sim duty?:ok: