BA Direct Entry Pilot.
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 283
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a socialist..........
This is not a BA specific problem, but the unwillingness / inability of airline pilots and their unions to take any form of action to protect terms for new joiners is staggering. This "I'm all right jack" attitude eventually harms everyone, yet seemingly nobody in the unions can see it.
If BA are worried about people leaving then make them sign a bond, or even better, focus on making BA such a good place to work nobody wants to leave in the first place. Charging upfront for type ratings is unjustifiable and a few years ago would have been unthinkable at BA.
This is not a BA specific problem, but the unwillingness / inability of airline pilots and their unions to take any form of action to protect terms for new joiners is staggering. This "I'm all right jack" attitude eventually harms everyone, yet seemingly nobody in the unions can see it.
If BA are worried about people leaving then make them sign a bond, or even better, focus on making BA such a good place to work nobody wants to leave in the first place. Charging upfront for type ratings is unjustifiable and a few years ago would have been unthinkable at BA.
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 688
As many have been saying for quite some time now, BA is nothing like the airline it was even just a few years ago. Things which would have been unthinkable years ago are absolutely on the table now. The rot has accelerated massively and the unions are pretty much impotent to do anything about it. It’s like a snowball rolling down hill; if you don’t stop it early on it will have gathered so much mass and velocity that it becomes unstoppable. I personally think the point where unions could stop it passed many years ago. The only thing to stop it now will be market forces - people refusing to join or large numbers of people leaving. In fact the mixed fleet cabin crew model requires a fairly high turn over as they don’t want people staying for ages and demanding extra pay for their loyalty. That same unacceptable attrition rate will exist for pilots too, although they’d want them to stay longer, but I bet we are nowhere near it at the moment, therefore IAG will think it’s still acceptable to keep turning the thumb screws. As long as they just take as much as can be stomached at a time, chip chip chip, marginal gains and all that. Change happens faster than it used to; the second a chip is taken, the chisel is already cracking the next bit. Our employer no longer cares about anything but improving efficiencies and therefore operating margins. And we no longer just compare ourselves to others; we chase that improved operating margin no matter how high it already is. If employee attrition versus recruitment starts to effect that operating margin, things will change, otherwise expect more of the same.
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Under the table
Posts: 187
If BA are worried about people leaving then make them sign a bond, or even better, focus on making BA such a good place to work nobody wants to leave in the first place. Charging upfront for type ratings is unjustifiable and a few years ago would have been unthinkable at BA.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 5,999
Originally Posted by Stocious
They aren't worried about people leaving. We can see who leaves the company every month, and I only need one hand to keep count of them.
...Somebody posted elsewhere earlier today that 7 are going in March, two of whom for definite are off to other oufits, 3 are reason/destination unknown and the other two appear to be leaving at or very near their CRA. I would have said 5-10 years ago even 2 or 3 opting to leave for pastures new would have been unheard off so the climate is changing...but I also agree with you that:
They've got no shortage of applicants alas, otherwise there might be bigger appetite from bosses to introduce better terms!
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Timba Hold
Posts: 71
They simply cant get enough DEPs to join BA short haul because of the state it is in. It has nothing to do with 'wanting to make BA accessible to everyone' or whatever they spin it as. They want cheap FO's and it is as simple as that. You are an annoying cost to this company as a pilot. At least other places you knew where you stood. The pretend statements of really valuing our contributions e.t.c made by Klaus and not worth the paper they are written on. Think very carefully about coming here for SH. You can listen to the BA fans if you want but don't be surprised when you get here!
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Botswana
Posts: 866
Short Haul honestly isn’t that bad. I moan more than most and even I can acknowledge that. If you get a SH offer also remember its a gateway into one of the most secure places in the industry and eventually a long haul slot if that’s what you’re after. It’s no bed of roses but to pretend it’s some never ending nightmare is also far from the truth.
Charging new entrants £18k for a type rating though? For BA that’s disgraceful.
Charging new entrants £18k for a type rating though? For BA that’s disgraceful.
Last edited by RexBanner; 3rd Mar 2019 at 17:23.
Join Date: May 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 122
Originally Posted by RexBanner
Charging new entrants £18k for a type rating though? For BA that’s disgraceful.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 5,999
Originally Posted by zero/zero
....so nobody will do anything for the new joiners
The company has put an "offer" out there, new joiners are at liberty to take it or leave it...interfering with that process (e.g. Trainers being told not to train the new entrants) could lead to action being taken under restraint of trade (and that would just be for starters).`
Also I'm pretty sure if, in an ideal world, trainers were actually legally able to refuse to train those new entrants we would soon hearing gripes here about BA senior people trying to block newbies from getting into the industry.
Last edited by wiggy; 4th Mar 2019 at 07:21.
Join Date: May 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 122
Originally Posted by hunterboy
Zero/zero...what do you suggest the existing employees do?
The result is the relatively weak position the CC are in over the current pay dispute, because the company know that nothing will happen.
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: chances are, not at home
Posts: 323
Trainers could drastically increase the chop rate, and (perhaps legitimately) claim the financial barriers are decreasing the quality of new recruits. That'll stem the supply and the demand, pretty quick. After all, to get in to Hamble/Oxford was tough, surviving the course was tough..and it was fully funded, (thus not being the preserve of wealthy applicants as it is now).
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 5,999
zero/zero,
Whether you wish to portray this as “rolling over” or not is down to you but do you accept the Company Council’s response to the New Entrant scheme has to take into account Legal realities....this is not France, so BALPA cannot call for e.g. a wildcat strike or selective withdrawal of training to stymie the company’s recruiting plans?
As for the payround, I take it you are aware of the latest state of play regarding this and that three major Unions representing BA employee groups are coordinating their response...and BTW that there is a ballot going on that in the fullness of time might lead to Industrial Action?
Whether you wish to portray this as “rolling over” or not is down to you but do you accept the Company Council’s response to the New Entrant scheme has to take into account Legal realities....this is not France, so BALPA cannot call for e.g. a wildcat strike or selective withdrawal of training to stymie the company’s recruiting plans?
As for the payround, I take it you are aware of the latest state of play regarding this and that three major Unions representing BA employee groups are coordinating their response...and BTW that there is a ballot going on that in the fullness of time might lead to Industrial Action?
Last edited by wiggy; 4th Mar 2019 at 11:54.
Join Date: May 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 122
People can stop volunteering to be trainers or part of the recruitment teams (or resign from those positions if outside of freeze), stop doing the roadshows, stop volunteering for #BASMART, stop accepting ad-hoc sims etc as some examples. I’m sure there’s enough intelligence within the Company Council to come up with something, but of course nobody wants to.
All too easy to just put our hands up and say “there’s nothing we can do”
All too easy to just put our hands up and say “there’s nothing we can do”
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 471
Same in every company. No shortage of lap dogs willing to do freebies for the company. We have people that come in and work for free doing courses forming part of a go team in the case of a serious event. Have others that sit on technical groups doing loads of invaluable research into various topics facing the operation for the company. Think they might get a rostered day or two here and there but no extra pay and certainly the rostered days will not in anyway reflect the work put in by these pilots. Same people argue till they are blue in the face about pay cuts and rostering. Same people also won't turn off their phone when they aren't due to be contactable. You are only a staff number at the end of the day until you die or retire and will soon be forgotten.
