The agreement voted for was voted up for one reason: McFarlane wasn't going to pay the pilots any more than the current GA Award rate plus 3% (CPI) and the pilot body cracked when the pressure was on (i.e. to take protected action).
Additionally, with Howard's work choices crap that this "agreement" is based on, the company can utilise contract pilots on AWA's making the agreement not worth a pinch of nanny goats poop anyway.
It is also proposed that new hires will pay for their endorsement costs $12K Saab, $10K Metro. At the moment the bonding system remains but the EBA allows the company to do what it likes. Beware to all who contemplate a career with this outfit.
The only win for the pilots (that should bite M@cair in the place where the sun doesn't shine when the time comes) is a little clause that requires Ops to make any changes for a pilot's duty to be wholly within a 2 hour buffer either side of the originally
rostered duty (instead of the current billion changes a day that leave the pilots no option but to do it).
A pilot can now say "Sorry, got something on, can't do it." if Ops tries to get them to fly a duty that will be outside of the original +/- 2 hrs.
TJ
