Right - that's done it...
The only person being dramatic right now is your good self GalleyHag.
From your posts, it has become clear (despite your protestations) that what Ditzy said originally upset you in some manner. And despite his apologies and assertions that he never meant to cause offence, you have continued with the topic - emphasising on at least one occasion that you don't care (when it is abundantly clear that you do!)
Secondly...
Cloud Nine
Are you not given a uniform allowance? Why not utilise it, it is given to you for a reason.
Cloud Nine is not a child...she doesn't need to be addressed as one.
Cloud Nine I will make you aware is very aware of what to do with a uniform allowance. Sadly, given that she's lucky to make $28K per year living in Sydney, that uniform allowance goes towards making ends meet. Sure - no one held a gun to her head to take the job, but what? She's supposed to sacrifice what living she can make from performing a job she obviously enjoys for the sake of using her allowances in the manner they're supposed to be used?!
Very few crew that I know of (in all divisions) apportion expenditure solely based upon the allowances they receive (and limit expenditure as such!)
Impulse crew, by comparison, receive a grooming allowance as part of the annualised salary - so, in reality, it's not really an allowance as such (since it's part of the salary - arranged to take up the $24K base salary to a more liveable $35K from the Air Crews arrangement)...Comparatively, we receive a $17 allowance per fortnight Shoe Allowance...does this mean by applying your logic GalleyHag that we purchase a pair of shoes each fortnight at $17? After all this is the reason we are supplied with $17 allowance...using your own words "Why not utilise it, it is given to you for a reason".
Link crew are not provided the benefit nor privilege of using a company contracted dry cleaner for the purposes of maintaining our uniform. Eastern and Sunnies are paid a grooming allowance (inclusive of laundering), but this is simply a means to bulk up what is otherwise a very low payscale compared with other industries (and indeed, other divisions...but we won't go there).
I'm tired and emotional right now, and sick to death of responses like "I don't really care about what you have to say...but I really do, so I'll just carry on and disregard what you have to say Ditzy".
I don't pretend nor have I ever pretended to be the expert on all things QF, flying or the like - neither should you GalleyHag.
UpperDeckRight...
I agree with you on the responsibility of the individual to maintain the uniform - but when QF fails to offer Link Crew either the service (ie. free drycleaning) or the means (ie. increased drycleaning allowance, resulting from increased requirement to dryclean this new uniform) to crew to do it, what then? Something has to give - QF cannot have it all their own way all the time.
I'm sure if the Eastern and Sunnies kids could afford to dryclean their uniform all the time, they gladly would! However, given that in the first instance the Link Crew are not provided with the same number of uniform pieces as other divisions (eg. 5 shirts to operate a 6 day run, 1 blazer, etc), the likelihood of having the time off to actually dry clean these items in time for the next run is often very little if at all! So the point is a moot one in reality!
