"All Aboard the AIPA Membership Merry-go-round"
Captain Ian Woods' post today spruiking for pilots from Jetstar and the Qantas Regional’s to sign up with AIPA, is yet another turn of the AIPA Membership Merry-go-round and pilots should not be fooled particularly those who trusted their promises the first time round.
Jetstar and regional pilots will remember the earnest assurances two years ago that AIPA had clear eligibility to enrol them under their current rules. The words I recall are that we have a legal opinion to support our claims.
Those pilots, who took them at their word, paid over their money for nothing. SDP Kaufman found in his recent decision that “It follows that, in my view, pilots employed by Jetstar, Eastern and Sunstate are currently not eligible to be members of the AIPA.” (para 49 of the decision)
This means AIPA were found not to have eligibility to enrol the pilots. Not a murmur about that from AIPA - wonder why? Not even an apology and/or an offer to return your money.
Now AIPA is confronted with an appeal against SDP Kaufman's decision. A stay (freeze) of the decision has been granted by the President of the Commission, and it is to come into effect next Wednesday. The President granted the stay because he was satisfied that "there is a sufficiently arguable case that leave would be granted to appeal and that the appeal would succeed".
If the appeal succeeds, the recent decision will be set aside and the extended eligibility rule granted by it will be annulled. Those who enrolled under it and paid their money will have nothing to show for it.
So what is AIPA's rush, you may ask. Why not wait until the Commission has finally concluded its proceedings? The obvious answer is that AIPA are unconcerned about the disruption and uncertainty that they will cause. To repeat a quote recently used by Captain Woods, "the end justifies the means".
The extra membership fees will probably help them meet the costs of the wave of litigation that AIPA has instigated over the last few months.
And Qantas mainline pilots might well ask themselves about the good sense of having all these new members on the roll and voting in the upcoming elections, when they could well be struck off soon after if the appeal succeeds. What effect will that have on the election outcome if there were voters who should never have participated?
Obviously the elections could not stand - Captain Woods and his lawyers must know that. But again, the welfare of pilots seems to take second place to the political strategies.
If AIPA want to play their strategic little mind games half way through the match, don't get sucked in. Wait until the umpire has made the final decision.
Lawrie Cox
Manager – Industrial Relations