For those posting in haste just stay cool. We know exactly what we are doing. Latest notice.
After a meeting today with ACTU President Sharan Burrow, we have decided to take the responsible decision of postponing our stop work meetings planned for Friday the 16th and 23rd of May. Sharan has advised that she will be writing to Geoff Dixon calling for further meetings of the parties with ACTU guidance. We were more than happy to take the responsible approach considering a number of developments in the past 2 days. The PIA Overtime bans remain in place and must be adhered to by all members.
With the huge amount of publicity regarding our dispute, we have taken stock of where we sit tactically and are pleased with some of the results of this week’s events. For those concerned about lockouts, the bad press regarding strikebreaker labour has forced the following public statement from the Qantas CEO -
“We have no intention of locking anybody out,” Mr Dixon said
“We have no intention of replacing our workforce. There'll be no balaclavas, there will be no dogs.”
Malaysian Airlines have approached us for assistance to help them identify their employees who may have abandoned employment or broken company policies by accepting Newport Aviation contracts. Over the weekend we had reports that the $100,000 6 month wage for strikebreakers had been increased to $140,000 due to the reluctance of LAMEs to accept the contracts and this may have created a divide within the alternative workforce. Strikebreakers would be aware by now that there is intense media scrutiny of their movements and they may find themselves identified through the media. We understand that a number of strikebreakers have withdrawn their services.
Our office has received some calls today from members complaining that they heard of the latest developments from the press before we had issued a notice. Quite simply, if a notice had been issued first, we would have lost our advantage in the public relations battle. Members will continue to receive ALAEA advice and notifications when they need it.
Press reports that the ALAEA has backed down and are now talking about the acceptance of a lesser offer are false. We are seeking a 5% pa wage rise and your continued pressure from overtime bans will assist this process. Now is the time to remind Qantas that they have been overzealous with their redundancy programs and rely too much on our goodwill to keep Qantas planes on time. Goodwill should flow both ways and until it does, ours has been withdrawn. Members should continue to expect the unexpected.
Today’s decision was a significant move in winning public and political support for our objectives. Members should be aware by now that this dispute is not taking place in a vacuum and will not be won overnight. The ALAEA is receiving advice and support from all quarters and will continue to play our cards at the right time.
STEPHEN PURVINAS
Federal Secretary