PAF,
What would YOU have these blokes do.
You talk about PIA losing the ginger-beers 'public support'.
What is this 'public support' supposed to gain them. It won't change Qantas managements thinking. Qantas are BIG advertisers and I doubt that most mainstream media will give the engineers a fair go anyway. i.e. pointing out the disparity in management pay rises to their lack of payrises, or the history of this dispute.
I am not personally involved in this dispute.
Unfortunately management 101 seems to teach that when EBAs fall due, get in high priced consultants (this covers your @rse), avoid negotiating, this will allow no payrises and savings to the company until new EBA. Take everything to the 11th hour and beyond, scare empolyees with doom and gloom scenarios, threaten to send jobs offshore, offer bugger all, then offer bugger all plus $1. Hopefully by this stage employees are so tired of the whole thing and feel that they did get something extra for their troubles that they vote to accept.Then reward yourselves with big bonuses and promotions. What they seem to forget that this treatment will eventually reach a critical point.
Good on you guys, stick to your guns. You are an ASSET not a COST.