I've only briefly scanned the posts on this thread, but (correct me if I'm wrong) the general gist seems to be a fairly substantial pissing contest about who did what to whom and when, sometime in the distant past.
To add my two cents worth, history is important insofar as we should learn from it, but we should not let it dictate our path to the future. I find it terribly discouraging that there is so much venom and vitriol thrown around, when (at its core) the thread really is about building a better future for Australian pilots.
I have some experience from within one of the Australian unions, and that experience has led me to the conclusion that what happened in the past was absolutely necessary (split of OSB from AFAP, as well as the subsequent creation of VIPA and defection of 50% plus of AFAP Virgin pilots). The reason for the Vipa/AFAP split was undoubtedly due to the AFAP executive (of the day) taking their eye off the ball with regard to Virgin pilots. You can argue all you like about the merits of forming a new union, but you can’t argue with the fact that the Virgin pilot group was seriously disenchanted with the service provided by the AFAP. If you consider more than half the existing pilots actually joined the new union and of those that remained, many did so only to protect their MBF contributions. It can be concluded that whatever the AFAP where doing for Virgin pilots, they were not doing it well.
To the credit of the current AFAP executive, this point has been recognised and they have improved their game immeasurably. As a result it can be easily argued that the formation of VIPA has positively impacted the majority of Australian pilots, if you consider that VIPA and the AFAP cover the majority of non-Qantas pilots, and I believe that the AFAP also has coverage of a significant number of Qantas group pilots through Jetstar and other affiliates.
I have no knowledge of the circumstance of the split of the OSB, but the gist seems to be similar lack of regard by AFAP exec of the day toward an important sector of their membership.
I have had many people (AFAP members) say to me over time that it is far better to deal with an issue from inside the tent than to throw the toys from the cot and start a new union. I agree that, in an ideal world, that would be true and would be the preferred path. History seems to suggest the Feds have shown that it is too difficult to achieve.
That’s the short form history.
My other experience has been that it appears obvious to me that all Australian pilots, having benefitted from the splits of the past, would now benefit from a single union. That is born from the observation that industrial muscle comes through the weight of numbers alone. No other aspect of a union has as much influence. Solid financial muscle to fight legal battles is the next most important. Unions are terribly expensive to run and by having three major aviation unions, along with a couple of minor ones, precious finances are being wasted through replication of many costs.
There is no doubt that AIPA has by far the greatest corporate knowledge of the Qantas group, and no other body could hope to understand their issues as well as they do. VIPA probably doesn't have the same grip on Virgin issues, but as a single airline union it could be argued they have a pretty clear focus. The AFAP, while having excellent industrial staff, are across just about every EBA and company in the country, and as such are probably more about just getting through each EBA rather than being really invested in any particular pilot or company. Regardless of that they have substantial membership and resources. So any move toward a single union would absolutely need to incorporate all those valuable resources and corporate knowledge contained in each entity.
We are now in the early stages of a massive global shortage of pilots. The industry cannot train its way out of this in the short term due to the long lead times to recruit and train pilots along with the declining interest in the industry by job seekers. Australian airlines have long sat in the comfort zone of knowing that Australia produces good pilots through the GA and Military sectors which, combined with our high standard of living, has provided a solid pipeline of future pilots. It is obvious that this has changed significantly over the last few decades where we now see the country’s premier airline having to do roadshows to Kununurra and Alice to try and attract candidates. With the pipeline drying up and global airlines having to increase packages substantially to attract experienced pilots, the environment has never been better for Australian pilots to start clawing back many of the conditions lost over the preceding decades.
It has to be acknowledged that Australian airlines operate in a global marketplace, therefore if their cost base gets too far out of balance it will make it difficult for them to compete internationally. That same issue does not apply to domestic businesses. At present we often see domestic airfares so cheap that the cheapest part of the journey is the air ticket, with parking or transport to the airport being more expensive than the flight itself. It is ludicrous that Australian domestic pilots are working their arses off just to provide cheaper and cheaper tickets to the public.
My view is that the only way to address this is for Australian pilots to fight in unison for better conditions across the spectrum. From GA to QF Long Haul, and everything in between. It is difficult for Virgin pilots to argue for increases when their managers point to the bottom line and say they can’t afford it because Qantas are kicking their arses commercially. It is not the fault of the pilots that the management can’t compete. Virgin pilots do the same job as Qantas pilots and Jetstar pilots and Tiger pilots and all other pilots, and that is getting their passengers and cargo safely from A to B. If Australian pilot conditions were consistent across the spectrum, it would simply be a cost of business that has to be passed on to consumers, and if the consumers don’t like it then they don’t have to buy a ticket. We’re all aware that it costs less to fly now than ever before, and part of that has come through the degradation of our conditions. It will only stop when we stop fighting amongst ourselves.
Much of the previous argument in this thread is based on the merits of having representation that is focused on specific airline issues. i.e AIPA looks after QF issues, VIPA after Virgin etc. and having a single union would necessarily mean that internal politics would influence the allocation of resources inevitably resulting in one group being disadvantaged to the benefit of another. History suggests that is what bought about the current situation and I agree that is a concern.
That said, if we look at how the AFAP have dealt with VIPA it seems to provide a template on how we could proceed. The AFAP formed a Virgin specific group. I think it’s the Virgin Pilot Council, but don’t quote me on that. By doing that they ensured that they had a tool to compete with VIPA’s 100% Virgin focus, guaranteeing AFAP’s Virgin members that they were getting the Company specific support they were looking for.
Given that AUSALPA already exists, albeit seemingly irrelevant to the industry, why couldn’t we all form up under that umbrella with individual groups formed to look after specific interests. It could be started from a blank canvas or incorporate existing norms. For example we could set it up on an airline group basis such as QF, Virgin, Rex etc, with a GA section for the smaller operators. Or it could be done on a domestic, international, GA type structure, who knows. My point being that if we were all in the same tent, demanding the same conditions for all pilots across each sector, we would stand a much better chance of improving conditions for everyone. Companies would have to deal with it and pass costs on to the public. There is no rule that says Australians are entitled to ever decreasing airfares so why are we letting ourselves bear the brunt of CEO’s trying to further their own self-interest. It’s pretty obvious that CEO’s have used favourable conditions in the past to erode our conditions, and when the opportunity arose they did so mercilessly if we consider the J* and Tiger experience. The wheel has turned and we need to exploit it in the same manner as the Corporate world did when they had the advantage.
I’m not suggesting this would be easy. This thread clearly shows there is a lot of bad blood and ego involved, but in order to improve our conditions in the manner we would all like, we have to look past that and work towards a better future together rather than as a splintered force. There is no doubt management are laughing their arses off at us as we dilute our industrial strength across multiple unions. A clear and present danger to all of us are 457 visas. If we spoke as one voice and engaged the best industrial lawyers and lobbyists in the country to represent us, we would stand a much better chance of controlling that argument than where we currently stand, being dictated to by the government. There is no doubt Joyce and Borghetti have government lobbyists, and they are getting their way. If we don’t hit back with force, we’ll find ourselves under threat from any pilot with a licence looking for a free ticket to live in Australia and weakening our position along the way. We are probably going to need foreign pilots in the future, but let’s get them here on our terms, not theirs.
For me, a single high level representative body that incorporates separate entities to look after specific sectors of our industry would be a significant improvement on our current situation and I would definitely support it. Funding could be allocated in line with member contributions, but importantly the higher paid airline pilots should be prepared to assist the grassroots GA pilots. Anything of substance needs a good foundation. Good GA conditions are necessary to underpin good airline conditions. Not every pilot wants the tedium of airline flying, but most aspire to it simply for the money. If GA and third tier RPT conditions were improved it would put pressure on airlines to improve in order to attract the quantity of pilots they need.
Make no mistake, the current environment won’t last forever. Pilotless aircraft are coming, but not soon enough to fix the problem in the foreseeable future. It is in all our interest to put differences aside and act now.