Clarry the ex AN drivers you fly with, and I flew with for a while at the same airline, were pre dispute.
I think there is a great difference between those individuals and those who were flung on to the market a few years ago.
Overall my experience is similar to pirate's...and so is the experience of all my mates scattered around the expat world. There will always be exceptions but the typical ex AN pilots have a great deal of difficulty adapting and leaving behind AN...in fact they seem to point blank refuse to.
I have flown with those too.
Or perhaps we just notice them more. Certainly those that cannot adapt, and there are LOTS, give Aussies collectively a bad rap overseas. Whether ex AN people want to admit it or not there IS a perception around the world of the typical ex Ansett pilot...and it is not a good perception.