A couple of points.
that is exactly where it is!
"why dont you call the union and ask them?"
I stopped calling the union when every time I called I was told no official was available and to leave my name and they would call me back.
Once , twice maybe, but at leats 8 times is a joke.
If this is what reducing the number of elected officials causes then it is time to go back to too many officials, at least someone was there to take a call. Am i the only one that has experienced this level of union service.It seems the only time you get some officials time is if you have a clause 11.I don't bother calling anymore. I just want someone different to vote for who will pick up a phone when I call.
The other genius remark was made only recently by FAAAs MM suggesting we shouldn't beat around the bush.We should accept we are the most expensive qf crew. Forgive me for suggesting that our conditions were fought for by previous members and officials to achieve a wage that is commensurate with the tasks , skills, and hours required of us. We are shift workers who can be rostered up to 17 hours and extended to 20 under certain conditions.When was the last time an office worker was required to turn up for a 17 hour day on a regular occurence.Forget no loadings for Xmas , public holidays, weekends etc like most other shift workers in australia receive.When was the last time our office workers were required to sit for an extremely stressful exam twice yearly every year.
Let's NOT beat around the bush. We have a set of skills which has continually recovered thousands of customers for the business. Not every one can handle people who are jammed in like sardines and make them feel we offer a better service and genuineness they know they wont get from most other airlines.Our UK crew who were formerly aussie based have been recognised for their skills by the Company offering a sweetener of 10 000k. Why offer it if they have not offered a value or if their skill level doesn't justify it.
To suggest we are expensive as though we should almost be ashamed of it or why it makes it harder to negotiate on our behalf is not the way to go.I have no doubt anyone from the ACTU reading that newsletter would have apoplexy. I would expect our union to highlight that for the work we do we are on a reasonable pay. The fact that SHaul has accepted to do our flying for less conditions should be criticised and some serious backroom discussions held with our SHaul colleagues for how it has potentially undermined their fellow LHaul colleagues and how it needs to be rectified in the next EBA. If our divisional (short and long) Faaa reps can't come to terms, then bring out the issues publicly to both LHaul and SHaul crew and let them decide whether we are better off with one division united or two divisions where the reps seem to never quite agree.We shouldn't be lectured that by inference we should be copping tough times sweet because we are more expensive than others.We need to educate , remind and state if we are more expensive it is because our conditions(hours flying, jetlag, number of passengers, number of days away, no public/week end loadings) are taken into acount when our wage was negotiated.
Perhaps now that SHaul has had a taste of L Haul hours and flying without our conditions they might agree that their conditions need to be brought into line and to the same level as ours. Maybe we need to challenge the Company that there is no short haul or long Haul anymore. We have effectively been merged and we need to have our conditions merged rather than having one workforce played off against the other.
CMON GUYS look at what the real picture is here!!!!Maybe a good place to start discussions with our SHaul FAAA reps
Our conditions are being attacked and lowered and our eye is not on the ball. Maybe we need Gus Hiddink as our FAAA leader. or at least coach our FAAA reps on how better to play the game
