Sorry Boeing but I'm going to have to side with Blown on this one.
"hasn't accepted the wishes of the majority of members that it was time for a change."
Sorry I must have missed that General Election.
I thought these fine gentlemen came to power through an Executive Election by convincing a majority of Com to vote for them by running a fine political campaign of muck raking and obsfucation yet their election platform was based upon one of transparancy of power.
You're right President Bazza is a fine gentleman ,only it's appearing more and more so every day that when push comes to shove he can't or won't make a decision .
Even though the constitutional power lays with the President it's appearing to some that the real power actually lies in the hands of a few let us say ,company sanctioned individuals.
Here's a hint to anyone out there wanting to negotiate with AIPA, if you want to get Bazza's ear you must first convince "The Stockbroker" who's been running around like the Queen bee, and more importantly the companies rumoured favoured next President, old Capt "DFC with bar and tailscrape" and to a lesser extent, everyones favorite next fleet manager and all round good guy Young Liberal "Jabba the Pontificator".
Don in many ways you are correct, AIPA can only do what it's contitution will allow it to do and the people it can cover.
Who actually saw what's transpiring now back say even 5 years ago.
Well there were a few people but no one took heed.
Believe it or not, AIPA is actually evolving and despite my little dig above ,I believe they are evolving for the better.
Despite whoever is in power at AIPA they have always been fair in the long run despite short term hiccups along the way.
Just look at the Integration of TAA/Australian into Qantas.
Compare that integration document with what the AFAP managed back with the Ansett- EastWest integration, chalk and cheese.
I believe even one of Australia's highest Industrial Judges even referred to AIPA during the court case for JetStar coverage as the quintessential Union.
Even the AFAP are no longer what they once were, they too have evolved. Have they evolved enough since "the dispute" and "the great breakaway" to actually get on with it? That sir is the $64 question.
I know AIPA is willing, if it's taken what's transpiring for AIPA and the Qantas pilots to have "woken them up" so be it ,better late than never.
Because united ,we all stand a chance ,divided we all most certainly will be worse off if we continue to allow airline management to play one pilot group off against another.As you rightly pointed out ,even the Qantas pilots have finally woken up to this.
In summation I believe the greatest fear from the JetStar and Q-Link pilot's point of veiw is their relative seniority in a group situation .
As it's been pointed out before ,AIPA's bonafides in this type of situation has already well and truely been proven.
As it's playing out now ,without a unified pilot's voice even the JetStar pilots won't benifit in any meaningful way on the 787 without fair and decent working terms and conditions.That I believe ,can only be negotiated to a mutually benificial conclusion from a collectively bargained position.Could the JPC or the AFAP or AIPA ,for that matter do a better job negotiating individually or would working together on this create a better deal for all future generations of Australian pilots to share?
Last edited by max autobrakes; 21st Mar 2009 at 01:20.