Seems there are only two guarantees in life, death and taxes!
Senior management of an aspiring offshore operator in Australia has recently approached the pilot reps and requested a wage freeze as result of the current GED. The pilots were due to receive the second increase of a three tier EBA, spread over three years on July 1st 2009. Apparently the two larger offshore companies in Australia tried the same bulls#%t on their pilots, and failed.
The EBA process has been a very successful tool for both sides to negotiate salaries and conditions. It has greatly reduced the militant culture that was once so prevalent in the Australian wok place. To renege on a signed off EBA, is very un- Australian.
Surely this company did not agree to sign off on an EBA without factoring in the possibility of a slowing, or even a retraction in the economy at some time in the future. Can you imagine management offering a pay increase without negotiation when the economy bounces back? LOL
Stick to your guns gentlemen this EBA not only provides you with a fair remuneration for your services, it also forms the foundation of the other EBAs that have been negotiated throughout our industry in the past few years.
For those of us who don't speak Oz, EBA is an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, negotiated between companies and employees.
Splot