BRIEF HISTORY ON THE ORIGINS OF PILOTING UNIONS IN AUSTRALIA
The first pilots union in this country was the Australian Air Pilots Association (AAPA)
It was registered with the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission in 1946, the same year QANTAS became a government entity..
Australian pilots expected that they would enjoy legal and professional recognition as a result .However pilots soon became discontented with arbitrated decisions that were handed down by this body of the Menzies’ Government
This discontent ultimately led to the dissolution and withdrawal of the AAPA from the commission in 1959 and the formation of the Australian Federation of Air pilots (AFAP) based in Melbourne with an overseas branch formed and affiliated in Sydney for the Qantas Pilots.. A new constitution was drafted which allowed for support between the domestic pilots and overseas Qantas pilots, but not necessarily joint strike action. This new association was not a registered Union , consequently it was outside the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court. This now allowed Australian pilots to challenge a rigid system within a comprehensive framework of compulsory arbitration that had existed in various forms since 1901. It would seem the AFAP had achieved what it wanted, Collective Bargaining. Unfortunately for the pilots, events were to prove otherwise.
Airline Management of the day again employed delaying tactics wherever possible when negotiating with the AFAP. Invarably the Domestic operators would reach agreement with their pilots but Qantas under CEO ,C.O..Turner became more and more intransient. The period between 1961 and 1964 saw legal manoeuvres, threats and counter threats from both sides .Gradually the AFAP gained the upper hand through being outside the legal procedures of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act.
The AFAP succeeded in 1965 in having the Secretary of the Department of Labour and National Services, Henry Bland, introduce a neutral, independent, dispute-settling body.
The” Industrial Relationship Procedures Agreement “,was established, as a form of collective bargaining with mediation procedures in the industrial arena. This new agreement was highly successful and became known as the “Bland Procedure”.
By 1965 the domestic pilots of Ansett-ANA and Trans Australia Airlins (TAA) finally negotiated a bidding style contract into place which included provisions for stability throughout their working life. It is because airline pilots are not in a position to freelance their special skills in the same manner as other professional people that they pushed to define specifically their career expectations through hard contractual terms. Qantas management however opposed any form of collective bargaining methods because they were outside the control of the Arbitration Court and stated that they would face additional pressure from other aircrew unions. Eventually through industrial pressures applied by the overseas branch of the AFAP Qantas reluctantly agreed to an 18 moth trial of the Bland Procedures.
Once again because of, the intransient nature of Qantas management and their “management prerogative” ideology, they reneged on the deal and appeared to purposely fan the flames of conflict, the result being the big strike of 1966. Both sides dug in and a long drawn out industrial dispute resulted. However, through the solidarity of the pilots, Qantas management capitulated with a new offer to negotiate on collective bargaining arrangements based on the North American Bidding Style contract that the domestic arm of the AFAP had negotiated into place nearly two years previously for the Ansett-ANA and TAA pilots.
What did the numberous strikes in the late 50’s and early 60’s achieve? What were the benefits of this North American Bidding System (NABS) and why did the pilots of that era go to such lengths to obtain it? Major benefits to evolve from this period were collective bargaining, comparative wage justice,contractual obligations affecting both parties,orderly career progression for pilots airline expansion and stability due mostly to the North American Bidding System (NABS)
The North American Bidding System ensured contractual conditions for pay that departed from a calendar monthly system. NABS was based on a 56 day bid period which, in turn constituted a 28 day pay cycle and 13 pay periods per year and guaranteed duty free periods between flying duties. Pilots had the ability to bid for suitable holiday periods and promotion, based on seniority. Holidays could be delayed or accumulated. Grievance procedures ensured that a fair hearing would be obtained where a pilot could elect to be represented by a Pilot Liason Captain who was a member of the AFAP. Paternalism and nepotism no longer determined promotional opportunities .It basically created a descriptive contract that unscrupulous management could not manoeuvre around.
The following was written by Sir Hudson Fysh about the 1966 strike upon his retirement
“Now the pilots’ trouble is over for the time being, they have been accorded virtually all they have asked for, even the North American type contract. They were fought by Turner over many years. The key point is that practically all that the pilots have been given should have been conceded years ago and $14 million in one year saved and much more good will. All right! Why were no concessions given? That is the question. It goes back to my bitter row, week in, week out with Turner. Also with Taylor. Both hated the pilots and accused me of being on the pilots side.
Sir Hudson also wrote the following about C.O.Turner:
“…he is completely, absolutely money and power mad…ruthlessly ambitious…flies into a temper…we are poles apart and antagonistic…never once can I remember Turner responding to a suggestion by me…on the other hand his mind is brilliant.”
.This escape from arbitration in 1959 and the subsequent success of the AFAP was the only example of a union circumventing the Government mandated monolithic industrial system. This led the Menzies’ Government to move to enforce it’s authority with an amendment to the Conciliation and Arbitration Bill on 19 October 1967.. This Bill amendment became known as the Flight Crew Officers Industrial Tribunal.. This legislation aimed to bring the AFAP back within the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Act and rendered the pilot’s choice of non-registration irrelevant. .The Flight Crew Officers’ Industrial tribunal, was chaired by Professor J E Isaacs who strongly encouraged negotiation and conciliation in preference to arbitration, which improved the industrial relations between Airline management and their pilots.
This escape from arbitration and the forceful adoption of collective bargaining in 1967, under the watchful independent umpiring of the Flight Crew Officer’s Industrial Tribunal ensured stability at a time of industrial instability for the rest of Australia.
That was then, what have we now? The AFAP a poor geriatic union that can barely lift a finger to help it's members, and it's prodigy the AIPA the old" International branch" if you like that hasn't won over too many friends in the past ,either. Is this due to a successful Government campaign to emasculate unions thanks to Work Choices, or has the fire in the bellies of our union reps died thanks to being too successful in the past and the shock of the "89 dispute. One too many battles using the same game plan?
Whatever the reason, who cares, what we need now is vision and the two main pilot unions to start working together again (which shouldn't be so tough considering their common past) so the piloting profession will no longer have to go with wooden bowl in hand to the artful dodger and ask "please sir I want some more".
Once a united pilots' union is once more representing the interests of all pilots in this country we may see a little less pissing in the wind shall we.
Last edited by max autobrakes; 4th Feb 2008 at 04:41.