From various sources we have learned that management plans to hire Direct Entry Captains via a contracting agency.
As in the past, the ALPL strongly opposes this ill-conceived attempt to counteract pilot shortage for various reasons.
The current shortage of qualified personnel is a company-wide problem, not only in flight-operations, but also in maintenance and even amongst ground-staff. In flight operations this is owed to the fact that the current CWA is simply not competitive anymore to retain a sufficient number of newly hired applicants to fill open positions within the Company.
Hiring Direct Entry Captains is not only unreasonably expensive, but also a further blow to the already severely damaged moral of First Officers, who have dedicated many years of their lives to serve this company and are more than qualified to fill any open Captain-positions.
It will further deteriorate employee-spirit and increase the already high attrition rate, fueling a vicious-circle that was started already years ago by inadequate management of pilot-demand within the company.
Please click here to get an overview of the evolution of pilot numbers since 2016.
Management has virtually upgraded the “minimum” number of Captains to comply with the current CWA and to avoid bring back one aircraft from Cargolux Italia. We also see a growing number of flights being operated with two Captains and one First Officer undermining the real savings management believed they could achieve with this CWA.
Fact is that the company is not achieving the “net” pilot numbers required to establish and maintain a sustainable staffing level within Flight Operations.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to this problem. As we have pointed out many times in the past, the effective solution to this problem is to improve working conditions with the aim to enable the company to attract, acquire and retain employees in sufficient numbers to support its current growth. Instead of expensive contractors we need competitive working conditions and an increased effort to train our dedicated and experienced First Officers for the left seat. This and other well-known issues should be enough motivation for all our members, to get actively involved during the next weeks and months.
In the light of the upcoming CWA negotiations and in order to avert this and other attempts to further undermine our working-conditions please keep in mind, that we will need the help and solidarity of our members and therefore ask you to be prepared to participate in further actions.
