Cobham Is At It Again (Merged)
In addition to the press release below, story around the traps is that a pilot has taken written evidence to the Workplace Ombudsman indicating threats due to his negative comments regarding the proposed AWA. Threats are credited to a flight ops manager.
Some thing like "whilst arranging a hit-man might do the job, I think we should look at other options first".
Is this considered duress?
23 August 2007
Workplace Ombudsman In Perth Today As The Workplace Watchdog’s Prosecution Of Major Transport Operator National Jet Systems Resumes
Australia’s Workplace Ombudsman today resumed its prosecution in Perth Federal Magistrate’s Court of major transport company National Jet Systems Pty Ltd over grave allegations it applied duress to two of its pilots to sign Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) and underpaid 33 pilots.
Nicholas Wilson, Australia’s Workplace Ombudsman is in Perth today as part of a tour of metropolitan and regional Australia said “the community has a justifiable expectation that workers’ rights will be respected by their bosses; that they will not be subject to undue pressure to sign AWAs and that their bosses will pay them their lawful wages and entitlements.”
National Jet Systems Pty Ltd provide contract aviation services including air charter flights and maintenance services to the Australian Government as well as other organisations including Qantas for whom it supplies pilots, cabin crews and aircraft for Qantaslink flights around Australia.
National Jet Systems have an application before the Federal Magistrate’s Court seeking leave of the court to allow them to ‘join’ two of the pilots to the legal action.
“What this case shows is that anyone in the community can have their workplace rights and entitlements brought into question and that the Workplace Ombudsman is unremitting in our efforts to protect the workplace rights of all Australian workers,” Mr Wilson said.
“We recognise that most employers meet their legal obligations to their workers. However, the Workplace Ombudsman will relentlessly and untiringly pursue bosses who do not comply with workplace law by not paying their workers the wages they are entitled to or seek to contravene their workers’ rights in other ways such as applying duress to sign AWAs.”
Today’s court action also illustrates the workplace watchdog’s determination to inexorably prosecute employers who allegedly contravene workplace law. The Workplace Ombudsman’s initial court proceedings against National Jet Systems were initiated on behalf of three National Jet Systems pilots in May 2007 and was subsequently widened to include 33 pilots in June 2007.