Reproduced from Qrewroom without comment:
AIPA’s warmest welcome to Jetstar, Eastern and Sunstate pilots to AIPA membership.
It would be fair to say that it is apparent that AFAP’s Laurie Cox, who is not a pilot, hopes that Jetstar and Qantas Regional Pilots will not apply to join AIPA, as invited by AIPA, so as to be on the roll of voters for this year’s AIPA elections.
In actuality many Jetstar and Qantas Regional Pilots have already done so and indeed AIPA warmly welcomes them and invites all Jetstar and Qantas Regional Pilots to do so.
Those who have in the past signed applications for membership, have been invited to sign fresh applications, to place their membership beyond legal challenge.
My interpretation of the past Qantas/AFAP line, has been that, AIPA does not “really” want all airline pilots employed in the Qantas Group as members.
Of course, it is now rightly recognised, that AIPA does. Notably, AIPA acted immediately SDP Kaufman’s Order of 13 June was made in AIPA’s favour (rejecting the Qantas/AFAP case) to open our membership to all Jetstar and Qantas Regional Pilots.
AIPA wishes all our new members to be on the AIPA electoral roll (which closes on or about 10 July) and also wants new member’s views on the new structure being debated by AIPA to afford active representation to Jetstar and Qantas Regional pilots, which is very important indeed.
If AIPA had not acted immediately to open membership to all those who are now eligible to join AIPA, AFAP no doubt would have said our omission shows AIPA was not serious in covering all airline pilots in the Qantas Group, which of course, would be profoundly untrue.
During the recent hearing before SDP Kaufman, I am not aware of the AFAP making any submission on any issue which conflicted with the case put by Qantas/Jetstar management and curiously, but not surprisingly, AFAP appeared to have acted as the second representative of Qantas/Jetstar management on most issues.
It is a matter of empirical fact that AIPA is a genuine industrial organisation of employees, which stands up for the interests of its members and SDP Kaufman has acknowledged that to be true. AIPA also encourages active participation by all members in its management.
All that said, I would simply like to reiterate Captain Woods and AIPA’s warmest welcome to Jetstar, Eastern and Sunstate pilots to AIPA membership.
Yours sincerely,
Captain John D. Dowe
AIPA Secretary