Just a Suggestion
Continue the 'overtime ban' until a resolution is reached or we are retrenched. Let's not give any room for the company to sully our reputation. At least when this is all over, one way or the other, the truth will read, 'The company collapsed because it was managed beyond its means, an unsuccessful application to force engineers to divorce their families and live at the airport failed. Overtime is optional, we are exersizing our option'.
To force employees to work overtime beyond the Australian Working Week of 38 hours could and should be prosecuted. This is the simple, single message that needs to be conveyed. To force overtime is akin to slavery, regardless of remuneration. The ALAEA fought long and hard at great expense to afford us total legal protection for our right to decline overtime requests. Thats it! We are not working overtime! Let this be debated by the Australian public. Let them decide. And finally, let management finally get around to doing what it is they are paid for, managing this tragic mess they have created. If they wanted our help, they would have asked, the right way.
There will be no blaming others, the $hit is on your shoes. Engineers refused to trade their time with family for cash. Engineers refuse to sell their souls to the 'roo' like you have. Engineers just want to come to work, free of intimidation, fix aircraft better than anywhere else in the world, take a days pay for a days work, then go home to their families. Management cannot understand how an employee can just leave his work at the gate. This is simply referred to as sanity. I do not work overtime, whether during PIA or not, and no one will ever force me to give up my time with my partner and children. For what, to service this disgusting bunch of standover merchants. To the ALAEA, thank you for standing up for us, and giving me the strength to say no more. No more lies, no more hidden agendas, no more buggery. Managers everywhere, just manage, its time to show us how good you are, the engineers have already proved their worth over 85 years, aussie greatness. How would you rate your first 3 years? Like some, the company has been working overtime to afford and pay the mortgage, the overtime has now all dried up. Shouldn't have over committed. That's what the managers have told us when giving their condescending financial advice. Its not our problem they said. It is now.
The most concerning aspect for management must be, even if we settled, and even if the overtime went back to previous levels, could we pull this plane out of this vertical dive. Again, let me repeat, we are legally declining overtime. That's it. Oh, and being docked 4 hours of our normal pay for refusing. This will be debated in public. Disgraceful.
Last edited by Acute Instinct; 17th Jul 2008 at 00:30.