BALPA - Finally had enough
 

Some on here may remember I started a poll thread to garner current opinion on our largest and primary union. Essentially I wanted to see if my personal experiences were shared by others or I was in a small minority.

I went into it with an open mind and knew my experiences and perception would be different from many who had been in employment since qualification or had experiences of having a robust CC working for them.

In the past week I've found out yet another thing that has left me wondering what the hell is going on and exasperated at how its been allowed to happen.

With the demise of Skyservice in Canada a number of pilots there immediately came onto the market. A number had worked during the UK summer season in years gone by and no doubt relationships (both personal and business) had developed over this time. I have learned that TCX made an immediate bid to bring them into their fold (unsure if it was 6 month or full time), only to find that Easyjet piped them to the post and offered a better package.

In a time where there are so many UK based/national pilots out of work, rated on both the A320 and B757, I can't understand why BALPA allowed this to happen without doing something. Its only been 6 months since the demise of Globespan.

Maybe BALPA did intervene, but if that is the case I've yet to hear about it which would show a failing in their communication.

ehr....easyJet did what?

Just to clarify......

TCX did not bid to bring them into the fold. Those that could live and work in the UK were employed by TCX. Only a few pilots from SSV have been employed this year, and on exactly the same conditions as all other new joiners (which unfortunately means they are on 7/5).

DS

At the risk of sounding like a BALPA apologist; when you talk about BALPA "allowing" this to happen, and I wholeheartedly agree that it is a totally unjust practice, who specifically do you mean? Is it the NEC, the paid employees, or us, the Pilots that make up BALPA that you are bemoaning?

It is for the Company Councils of EZY and/or TCX, supported by BALPA infrastructure and financially by the rest of the sub paying members, to take action. If the CC's choose not to act then what do you propose BALPA, in the form of the NEC or paid employees, to do about it? Call a general strike of all UK Airlines? No thanks from me.

I often wonder what people think BALPA is? IMHO We are it and it is us. When we criticize "BALPA inaction" we only criticize ourselves.

I really hope to see this thread expand into a positive discussion so may I ask, respectfully, what you would like to see done?

Johnny,

I am not surprised by your request, many on here suggest that if you criticise anything or anyone on PPRuNe then that criticism isn't enough, you have to follow it up with a full recovery package or scheme.

However based upon your invite, here is what I'd recommend, I reckon there are at least 20 initiative or issues that could be addressed immediately to improve things. I have listed 8.

1./ I believe BALPA has become a fragmented organisation where some CC's exhibit the best of what collective bargaining offers and some have shown what self serving reps can do to feather their own caps. Granted individual airlines have individual problems and agendas, however this does not mean that the union has to franchise itself. When it comes to major issues affecting the industry all CC's should come together with one voice for the greater good, not their own vested interest - It has been discussed that the nature of our industry means by in large it is populated in the majority by financially comfortable individuals who don't align themselves with any militant behaviour so I accept this now veers into a social background argument which I'm not qualified to answer.

2./ Unemployment increased again today to 2.1m and 8.2m economically inactive (students, training schemes, volunteer work, carers, etc.). They have a responsibility to preserve and safeguard existing jobs (of course sometimes no amount of intervention will facilitate this) and aid the unemployed to find gainful employment. This includes not allowing companies like Air Mauritius to take on the MoD airbridge contract to the Falklands when GSM went bust, then follow it up by not insisting Air Mauritius employ any ex-GSM pilots.

3./ Not forget what the B in BALPA stands for, whither it be a citizen or a resident, their rights and voice has to be promoted before those of other countries who's own unions would create quite a stink if things were in reverse. If you have a valid licence and medical, right to live and earn and are here already then you have to be given priority.

4./ Communicate adequately with the pilot community as to what they envisage as problems now and on the horizon, how they plan to combat them and list the pro's and con's for these so each member can formulate an opinion and at least have the tools to adequately voice it if they chose to do so. If the information I have relayed in this thread is incorrect they could adequately nip it in the bud if incorrect - If for example the SSV info is correct and the CC's chose not to act then they should have to give a public reason why they haven't opposed it.

5./ Strong central leadership that acknowledge that many things have been overlooked and the address the fragmented nature of the "brand". Leadership that prioritise what affects us most going forward rather than focusing on easy to win minutia.

6./ Exchange best practices, negotiation tactics and strategies between CC's. Large companies such as BA are lucky that they will have access to a number of talented individuals now working on the flightdeck who pursued alternative careers beforehand such as lawyers and accountants, not every airlines CC is as large or lucky. Do CC's from Virgin, BA, Easyjet and BMi (as scheduled UK carriers) or TCX, Jet2, Monarch, Thomson (Charter) meet regularly if at all? If not, would nobody agree there is merit in something such as this happening either within sector or UK-wide.

7./ Form some sort of group that the unemployed and disenfranchised can interact within, with no CC they are a sizeable number and the future of BALPA (and their revenue), ignoring them now seems to be folly.

8./ Just fight our corner with the same degree of intelligence and vigour as we witness exhibited by those representing our continental, Commonwealth or American counterparts.

Balpa Are Wasters
 

Balpa can be seen as the biggest collection of spineless, gutless, wasters that like a leech parisitically suck cash from naive pilots.

Many pilots are lured by the idea that come the unlucky day, when you might need employement advice to protect you from the worst and even sometimes criminal excesses of modern day management that somehow they might be around to help.

But then sadly if you find yourself in that situation you will discover they have no back bone, no stomach to help out and zero moral courage.

When there not busy bottling out there often giving duff advise and even taking advertising revenue from the very employer that shafted you

They are concerned with two things memebership fees followed by having a quiet life.

One of the best things that can happen to any pilot is to be deep in the mire in some way early on in their career. Not because being deep in it is any fun at all but because having been deep in it and being left high and dry by the BALPA wasters you can do yourself a favour and cancel your 1% membership.

Over 30 years that could easily amount to say circa £15,000 cash

Dont waste your money on these muppets whatever you do.

DS

You're ideology and idea's are sound, no question, but everywhere that you write "they" you need to think "we" - that's my point. CC's in most companies have such limited roster release and so many demands on their time that it is impossible for them to be as strategic as you, constructively, suggest they should be. The leadership you, and I, aspire to should (would) come from the NEC but they too only have so much time to give and there isn't enough paid employees to take up the slack.

So do you want to pay more subs or should more people strong minded, articulate and motivated people be volunteering to do their bit? (that's a hint by the way).

I draw attention to a post made in the poll thread articulated better than I could ever aspire to by 4star:

"To all those who say "Shhh, don't question the value/effectiveness of BALPA it will only make things worse..." I say we question it because we care. We care about our profession and we care about BALPA. We want it to not just secure the current members but recover those who have left and encourage new members.

To those who say "listen, you don't get it. It's a members led organisation, speak to your CC..." I say what about all those who are unemployed/work for a company where the union is not recognised/ have been forced to find work abroad etc.

To those who say " you have unrealistic expectations of what BALPA can do...." I say let BALPA tell me what is possible and what isn't. Let BALPA explain to me that at the very least it understands the national issue's and it has considered the options. Where BALPA has a weakness in an area that it has then liaised with other unions/ taken legal advise/ looked at using public relations experts etc etc etc. At the very least acknowledge the damn issue's and communicate with us more.

To those who say "well the current system works just dandy in my airline..." I say perhaps - but only in respect of internal matters. With respect that is simply not good enough. Your company does not operate in an economic bubble. While you have been protecting your T & C's others have had there's reduced. Those companies may be in a position to take business away from you. You could end up with the best T & C's of any airline thats failed so far."

As one with an aviation background but no involvement and an active trade unionist in another field may I throw this bit in the ring?

UK employment law is robust, those employed from outside UK must jump some pretty high hurdles, in the case of Canadians without required dual nationality or work visas they would not be allowed to be employed by a UK employer, those with the status to be employed by a UK employer have equal rights to compete for positions. NO union can change and it is a waste of time berating any union for doing nothing, it is HMG they must move.
In short, neither BALPA nor IPA have any power to prevent the situation posed, in the same way as they cannot prevent any other legal practice such as training schemes run by OAA etc.

Sorry chaps, that's the way it is.

Maybe so Al however I would suggest where there is a will there is a way, any robust safeguard can be circumvented, just depends on how good your lawyer is. No doubt they have worked in the UK in the past is one of many justifications they have/will give to HM Immigration Services.

BALPA may not be able to stop P2F directly, however they can mobilise their members or at the very least release a press release against the practice which would no doubt be picked up by flight international and the national press. So far I have seen evidence of neither despite universal hatred of this.

What I am certain of is Jim McAuslan has shared more games of golf and 3 course lunches courtesy of "The Log" sponsor and P2F trailblazers OAA, than he has composed letters telling them he is unhappy with this trend they are promoting.

p2f
 

What I am certain of is Jim McAuslan has shared more games of golf and 3 course lunches courtesy of "The Log" sponsor and P2F trailblazers OAA, than he has composed letters telling them he is unhappy with this trend they are promoting.

Jim, respond please!!

Capt Ronweb.:=

Interesting......I am a Balpa advocate, but I missed that post by 4star on the other thread, a very well written post that makes you think outside the company bubble.

Out of interest DS, is that above accusation gospel truth or rumour. If it is the truth I would be a little concerned.

Who do you think BALPA are? You are BALPA and BALPA is you??

BULL!!!! - BALPA is not a charity.

When I pay my tax I do not feel the need to go down and help out at my local school, hospital, tax office, council tip, etc. I pay for it and it gets done.

We pay a lot of money to BALPA, and nothing gets done. Archiving activities associated with BALPA's 75th anniversary doesn't count I'm afraid. "United in the interests of British airline pilots". Also BULL!!!!.

Alot of people are hanging on in BALPA by a thread only. Please can the senior leadership at BALPA begin STOPPING THE ROT that has already become SOP in this industry. Otherwise more and more people will just leave BALPA and our position will be even further weakened.

BALPA are now a backwards looking talking shop where everyone moans about how bad things have got with absolutely no culture of getting anything done about it at the fundamental level.

I know this seems harsh but this is not just my perception.

A change of attitude would cost nothing.

WHYEYEMAN, with all due respect (which in this case isn't very much) the makeup of BALPA has been amply explained above, and if things are not being done to your satisfaction then get off your idle arse and do something about it yourself instead of expecting to have it handed to you on a plate. If your CC is that bad only the membership in your company is to blame - no one else, but then your basic understanding of what a Union is and does is so wide of the mark I doubt you'd see yourself having a role in shaping your own future. If you can't be bothered to learn what a union is, let alone join in and help then please stop spouting such, er, bullshine, or just lift a finger elect more effective people into your CC. Do you see no irony at all in bemoaning "no action at the fundamental level????" That's YOU!
QED


Why can people not understand this simple concept? Post 9 is spot on - if nothing was illegal neither BALPA not the House of Lords can stop it.

In any case, does anyone suppose that easyjet or anyone else went bleating to BALPA in advance? Get real! About what? People with a legal right to work in UK being given employment? Have a care people, that table could equally turn on YOU! Only once the deal was done did it become public knowledge, I'll bet, and it's a bit late to initiate a discussion by then.

The iniquity here is one of respect for employees, and seniority and command prospects amongst existing FOs; shameful, underhand and appallingly bad for morale. All of that is very upsetting, but it ain't illegal. There will be nothing "binding" in the company's promotion policy, merely advisory, so what could possibly be done beyond a protest to the company who will only claim commercial necessity?

Work to rule perhaps?

BALPA just a joke
 

BALPA is just a joke !

A great cash grabbing machine, a great marketing machine, a great machine for creating division amongst pilots but for actually getting anything positive done be would be really grateful if someone could step forward with some examples.

Do the maths : lets take say a charter outfit with say 400 pilots lets say circa 80% are in BALPA and lets say the average pilot wage in this outfit is paid £50,000. Then based on these numbers the BALPA fees total up to massive £160,000 per annum.

Yes thats right a massive fee income of £160,000.

But what do the Comrades flying the line get in return for this massive fee of £160,000.

Do they get a full time professional representative ? No
Do they get negotiators ? No
Do they get access to an employment lawyer if needed ? No

Do they get a kick in teeth from BALPA if something goes wrong and the need help ? Yes you bet they do.

BALPA runs from responsibility quicker than a Government ditches its manifesto.

What happens is for £160,000 you get a self help company council composed of the well intentioned, the willing and the concerned but these kindly souls often have little or no training or experiance in employemnt law, and often little or no negotiating or exposure to modern management practice.

Its like paying the council to empty the bins then being asked to drive the truck and do the bin round yourself. Or quite literally paying the barrister £160,000 and finding that that on the day of the trial you can represent yourself.

BALPA is a rip off and it's a complete nonsense.

Lets ditch the muppets BALPA and form a real Union.

Don't get me wrong - I want a strong BALPA as much as the next person. I mean that quite sincerely. The reason I am becoming so irate is exactly because I want BALPA to be a strong, respected, universal pilots union. I would support BALPA all the way. More than most I would say if it came down to it.

This country is financially up the creek and has been making a loss and needing to borrow money for years. I think we owe well over a trillion an the moment and this is increasing by £165 billion a year presently. Do I see other professional associations / unions allowing their doctors / nurses / teachers / bin-men, etc. to be employed as casually as pilots are? NO. This is because their representatives make sure that this doesn't happen.

The only organisation we have to provide the aviation industry with a 'this is how pilot employment works' type set of guidelines is BALPA and look at what has happened. It has failed.

The company I work for is going to make over £100m this year yet it employs many FO's, via a sub-contracter, on an hourly rate with no pension, no sick pay, no nightstop allowance, no anything else. Many are suffering personal and financial stress as a result. Some are having to declare themselves bankrupt to get the bailiffs off their back. They won't be getting a mortgage or any other borrowing facilities for the foreseeable future. (£100m profit remember - thats after the Ash losses) "United in pilot's interests" ?? WTF??

"Do you see no irony at all in bemoaning "no action at the fundamental level????" That's YOU!"
No I'm afraid it's not me. I'm a pilot. I fly aeroplanes. I am a professional. I PAY someone to look after the industry in which I work. People are therefore PAID to look after the industry. As I said before BALPA is not a charity. Maybe you could suggest something that I personally could do to sort out the issue I mentioned above for instance.

I have cut and pasted the following from post number 9 which you say you so admire:

"In short, neither BALPA nor IPA have any power to prevent the situation posed"

So what exactly are they for? Please someone explain to me in straight plain English, not esoteric New Labour style BS of which I am sick, exactly what BALPA is for in May 2010.

I assume that you were either a CC member or your CC informed you of this state of affairs. If this was the case as you state why did the CC not actually do something and get it sorted. I was on our company CC for four years and at every meeting our principal negotiator was present and this was also the case at monthly Company meetings and pay talks. Our Company went through a major change but we had access to legal representation throughout.

Any issue that is relevant to an individual company is in the first instance for the CC to take up. If it cannot be resolved at that point then Balpa resources are further available to take it on. Certainly the effectiveness is really down in the first place to the CC and if you are not happy then give them hassle or even get elected. It's that time of year anyway.

What is BALPA for
 

BALPA is a self serving political organisation which exists in its present form to do little other than to take your money and give nowt in return.

Can someone take me up on the BALPA challenge and list 5 key achievements of BALPA over the last 10 years ?

At Unite they roar like a lion , the brave cabin crew fighting on their feet for thier jobs and their terms and conditions compared and contrasted to the BALPA lamb which meakly wimps by and dies on its knees.

Having seen the way Unite roar at BA I thank god that I am represented by BALPA and not those 70s throwback loonies.

And
 

and BALPA's 5 key achievements are

1.?
2.?
3.?
4.?
5.?

Don't feed the troll

There we have it
 

There we have it at last a start BALPA's 5 key achievements

1. Dont feed the troll.
2.?
3.?
4.?
5.?

Not doing so well here are we?

Come on Comrades 5 key achievements in the last 10 years even BALPA must have some!

Would you care to tell us Unites 5 achievements? Let me help you with a starter:

1) Leading BA cabin crew into a costly strike they can't win and achieving a poorer outcome than was first offered by BA over a year ago.

Over to you for the remaining 4.......:ok:

Any sensible union leader, Unite, BALPA, ALPA, Fred's Shunters Union....knows that you fight the good fight when things are booming.

When times is baad.....you eat sh1t.

How much sh1t you eat depends on how much pain you can inflict and the volcano has shown that if you can't fly it gets very painful!

Well here's an interesting one:

I am currently contracting at the Greasy lot (I am one of the bunch made redundant from bmi and took up a flexiscrew contract) and was given a letter of intent to employ me full time come the 1st November.

Happy days I thought!!!! However our beloved BALPA has in the meantime negotiated a pay DECREASE(compared to the original direct entry FO's pay of(£45k vs £49k), along with a FLEXIBLE roster (vs. the 5/4/5/3 roster I was hoping to get) and a DEMOTION (the SFO upgrade has been raised to 3000 factored greasyjet hours vs. issue of ATPL originally) All this for a company actually making a profit!!!!! BTW this affects 50 new joiners from the 1st November.

Correct me if I am wrong, but according to my books BLAPA are systematically degrading conditions for future generations and now current generations!!!

Anyway rant over, subscription cancelled and from what it looks like, career cancelled....

BALPA's 5 key achivements
 

Hardly University challenge this is it?

Lets have some key achievements of BALPA in the last 10 years.

10 years includes at least one recession and one boom so its a long enough period to at least show some achievements.

So far we have for BALPA's 5 key achievements

1.Dont feed the troll.
2.Unite have led the cabin crew into a costly strike that they cannot win.
3.?
4.?
5.?

Given that the average UK skipper earns circa £80K so hands out to BALPA £800 per annum the list of achivements for the cash wasted looks a bit depressing.

Come on Comrades are there any BALPA achievements. There must be some is there?

Ah wait, I've got one I think. Didn't they get recognition as some form of professional association, similar to the Law Society and the GMC? That's rather good isn't it? So despite earning about the same as a warehouse supervisor, pilots can at least regard themselves in the same light as respected professionals.

Anyway, it's the sunrises that nobody can take away. And they're worth something money can't buy. Punching through the clouds in the winter to be one of the first and only people that day to see the sun, that makes it all worthwhile etc. etc. etc. (continue until bankrupt/coronary event)

Here's a thought actually, they've got a bigger database of UKIP voters than UKIP do. Flog that off to Nigel Farage and you could halve the subscriptions.

BALPA's top 5 achivements
 

So far in order of presentation BALPA ' s outstanding achievments in the last 10 years are reported to be

1.Dont feed the troll.
2.Unite have led the cabin crew into into a fight they cannot win.
3.Negotiated a wage decrease.
4.Achieved recognition as a professional association with wages akin to a warehouse supervisor.
5. Built up the countries largest database of UKIP supporters.

For such an outstanding service to aviation over the last 10 years it seems only right and proper we should recognise BALPA with an award of some kind.

Seriously keep the achievements flowing there must be something of substance to show for 10 years.

Caudillo,

Not being an authority on employment law and legislation, i cant agree/disagree..

however, here is Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, 7th September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications.


http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/...0070101-en.pdf

in short:

Bruce, likewise.

And a fantastic directive if I may say so too. I'm not entirely certain what you're driving at however.

I don't know if this offering will break into the top five - but when I have had occasion to thumb The Log, I have discovered in between the Volvo adverts and peculiar cartoons about gentlemen that wear ear protectors over braided hats, a letters page that makes that of the Daily Mail look positively liberal. That is surely an achievement of rare distinction.

Whyeyeman -

Firstly, the actual answer is YES, there are a mass of employment agencies for most of the above but, come on, bin men? Professional? is your head up a certain orifice?

With regard to professional status of pilots, I don't think you have it. AFAIK that status is reserved for those who do or may belong to a royal college such as nurses, doctors, midwives etc. Not pilots.

Hmm. I don't expect that impresses time-served "Greasy" FOs one little bit.

What did you expect? To have your vaseline provided foc?

Grin and bear it, before you get it vaseline free.

And if you plan to go through a career in bed with such a bunch of rogues as that with no protection at all, you'll soon be dreaming of the help you'd have got from BALPA. Just how blinkered, short termist, cheap, selfish and superficial can people get?

Best of luck. You're gonna be needing it.

BALPA,s top 5 achievements
 

Seriously guys 2744 views of this thread and yet not one person has come up with a real BALPA achievement.

So lets keep this running what say for another 24 hours before it will be realistic to conclude based on non response that BALPA indeed have no achievements and certainly none that could be defined as a top achievement.

One could be cutting and say managing to stay in business while being totally useless is an achievment in its own right but hardy one to be proud of so come on you BALPA Comrades lets have some achievements that BALPA can be proud of.

Paul Rice - I think you should consider what unions are about. In certain cases it may be to 'achieve' something such as equality of pay and conditions, protection from over exploitation etc but mainly they exist to prevent erosion of T&Cs for existing members within the legal framework. Achievements are the domain of politicians. As BALPA is not affiliated to any party you cannot criticise.

I very much doubt if anyone on this forum can have knowledge of successful actions they have fought without a breach of confidence having taken place so your argument is null and void.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

Have to agree 100% with this comment from al446...wake up guys to the 'games' at play in this industry...BALPA are nothing...

BALPA 's Achivements or lack of them
 

Hi Al446 at last an attempt to front up for BALPA.

Thank you but I dont think your argument quite breaks the argument that BALPA cannot demonstrate significant achievements in the last 10 years.

Taking your points in turn

1. Equality of Pay nowt to do with BALPA Equal Pay Act was in bought in 1970 some 40 years ago. Legislation 40 years ago having nowt to do with BALPA can hardly be counted as a BALPA achievment in the last 10 years.

2. Protection against Erosion of Terms and Conditions this is a BALPA failure not an achievement.

3. Protection against explotation again a BALPA failure what has BALPA done to prevent the explotation of pilots in pay to fly appointments for example.

4. Achievements are just the preserve of politicians and as BALPA is not affilaited to any political party you can't criticise. What sort of twisted medievil logic is this. Achievements are not just the preserve of politcians they are the preserve of every human being and every human enterprise. BALPA is part of the TUC which is embeded in the Labour Party which come to think of it is another failing organisation.

5. BALPA legal success covered by confidentiality agreements so we cant measure how well they have done. Your last point has some merit but there is overwhelming evidence of BALPA not taking on strong legal cases to protect members and leaving individuals high and dry when they have been shafted by employers. On balance BALPA has a bad record for this but success or failure here needs better testing bofore its chalked up as an achievement or as I suspect probably another abject failure.

So far we are not doing well here are we. A skipper over 10 years hands over £8000 to BALPA and in return BALPA delivers at best a dodgy record in very patchy legal protection and so far I can see nowt else to show as an achievment.

BALPA is just not worth it.

Exactly the conclusion I reached a while back.

A small example at my company was the huge fuss created when crew food amount and quality was reduced unilaterally. BALPA talked tough, ranted and raged that it was breech of contract, a reduction in our terms and conditions etc.

Six months of silence later they were forced to eat their words when learned council informed them that there was no contractual agreement regarding amount and quality, so they blamed it on the previous CC!

When I resigned from BALPA a year ago, they sent me a standard scare tactics letter about how exposed I'd be without their legal "protection". As far as I could work out it was nothing of the sort, and as previous contributors have stated, BALPA cherry-pick who they will or won't represent, based on either internal company politics or a cast iron case in their favour.

Correct me if I'm wrong but according to their accounts, BALPA spent £165000 in legal representation last year. Peanuts, considering the size of the membership.

Where does the money go?

First off, I have no dog in this fight.

However, I'm slightly confused by comments I've seen several times in different threads. They say that BALPA is not doing anything because the respective employers are not doing anything illegal. Isn't this confusing the role of the police with the role of the trade union?

What I can't understand is that this should be the situation:

Police: Investigate and bring charges against perpetrators of illegal acts
Trade Union: Provide a vehicle for collective bargaining and ensure protection of members' working conditions.

To me, these two roles aren't even close. So what am I missing here? I wonder if it is because all big BALPA seems to do is bring the odd case in court. Maybe this makes BALPA seem more like your solicitor than your trade union?

I also wonder if, in general, the pilot body is too apathetic and divided already to ever be unified into striking (in this country, that is). Without any stick, carrot-and-stick just doesn't work and this perhaps explains the imbalance in pay and conditions we're seeing.

I love these whinges about BALPA. :rolleyes:

Having served on a BALPA cc for one of the largest UK companies currently operating, I can’t help but smile when people like Paul Rice rant on and on.

As a CC your stick with which to beat the management with, is only as big as your work colleagues’ resolve on the matter in question. Since getting pilots to act together in their collective long term interest is like trying to herd cats, that stick is small and fairly limp.

This industry is populated by a significant number of pilots whose main defining characteristic seems to be a willingness to shaft their colleagues’ for their own narrow self interest.

Management know this and exploit it. The race to the bottom will only halt when we get there. It will be this way because we seem unable to help ourselves.

Paul stop whining and get yourself onto the CC you despise and show them how it’s done.

I suspect however, that you don’t have a pair and are happy to snipe from the comfort of your keyboard, safe in the knowledge that you won’t have to do anything that requires a bit of effort. :ugh:

Dear Max,

If things are how you are describing them, BALPA is completely useless by its nature, because it could never work.

So why wasting 1% of your income if you could put it aside for some sort of legal support insurance and have your own professional and highly motivated lawyer which you pay directly to work for you when you need it?

Seriously, I don't understand those who have not quit BALPA yet.

Cheers