If nothing changes then you cannot be forced to accept any lowering of conditions...........i.e it cannot get any worse than it is now!
Greenslopes, how can you make a statement like this?
Have you not read the papers and heard the real life stories lately? Have you not heard of Workchoices? Overnight you can be put in a position to accept a lowering of conditions, take it or leave it, under Workchoices. They don't call it coercion, they call it restructuring by rescinding your current agreement replaced by AWAs. Why do you think the State govts have set up the Fair Go Hotline, because it is truly happening. Think about your EBA proposal carefully.
Don't worry about the line "there is no alternative if this isn't accepted" as dictated by the Co.........................look what has/and hasn't changed since the pilots rejected their proposed EBA Doc.
We pilots have a different argument which protects us from the federal MINIMUM, cabin crew are not so lucky. If you don't believe me then check for yourself - the federal minimum Workchoices standards. You seem worried that your sick leave is reduced by 5 days to new comers but your union seems to have retained you 21 days a year total. Do you know what the federal minimum is? John Howard hasn't even heard of URTI leave!
Most clauses which I've read seem to have rolled over into the new EBA without too much change except your Operations part. The table is more lenient than most on offer round the world. The rostering table is even better. The union has managed to keep your required hours to below the Workchoices minimum of an average 38 hour week plus whatever overtime you are expected to do for the love of it! instead of Workchoices 152 hour 4 week period, you only have to work somewhere between 125-140hours maximum and you get paid overtime too. There's no overtime penalty payments in Workchoices. And you kept your 6weeks annual leave-hold on to that one and don't let Workchoices rule!
A NO vote is not a solution to better conditions, a NO vote may indeed pave the way for the lowering of conditions you speak of. Don't be fooled by people who haven't done research outside of simply saying what they like and don't like about the agreement. You should maybe look a little further down the track what will a NO vote bring?