The Independent Pilots Association (IPA) is both delighted and relieved by the decision of the Department of Employment and Education (DoEE) to finally reject British Airway's application for work permits for USAir pilots.
Had it been approved, it would have made a mockery of the immigration laws in this country, with the many hundreds of qualified UK pilots now unemployed. More importantly, it would have set a precedent with far-reaching consequences for the future which would have been open to exploitation by unscrupulous organisations, to the detriment not only of the aviation sector but the whole infrastructure of UK commerce and industry.
Sadly, the IPA was a lone voice in contesting BA's attempts to persuade the DoEE. Had the British Airline Pilots Association adhered to its own members' resolutions, this ill-conceived scheme would have been rejected form the beginning.
Mark Pearson
Director, IPA Haywards Heath, UK
Source: Flight International
