What a fantastic spiel on 2UE. You guys are not being unrealistic. You're not being greedy. Nor is any other part of the company. As a flight attendant, I've seen how far the company is prepared to go to screw its staff over. We were backed into a corner and being an "unskilled" workforce, were easily replaceable. We lost our industrial fight years ago. But you guys still have a chance to make a difference - not just for yourselves, but for all other parts of the company.
As was said on 2UE, when a company is doing well, the staff should do well, too. We all had wage freezes when we were duped into believing that times were tough and we have never recovered that lost income, even after QF made record profits that year. And I'm not talking about one off bonuses of $700 after tax. All we want is reasonable pay increases when we are doing well. A 3% pay increase can be considered a 1.8% pay cut, due to inflation. And inflation has been at around the 4% mark for years now and none of us has got any more than 3%, so we are all behind.
And PAF, I hope you are not Australian, because you sure don't seem like an Australian. Our country was always about fairness, and when things aren't fair, we stand up to bring things back into balance. We have fair industrial rights, not through the kindness of employers, but by fighting hard for it. A lot of what has been fought for in the past is now being eroded. Trust me; I fly to the US often enough and I know what things are like there. We DO NOT want to become like that country, but we slowly are.
Guys, stay united. Speak to staff who can help you out: pilots, cabin crew and ground staff. Make sure they understand what this is about. It's not thuggery or greediness. That is what management is about.