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Old 19th Feb 2010, 01:34
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druckmefunk
 
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Unions Join Forces Against V Australia

What does it all mean?????

Unions join forces against V Australia: maximum duty hour limitations
Steve Creedy
From: The Australian
February 19, 2010 12:00AM
V AUSTRALIA is facing legal action and possible industrial turmoil as unions representing flight attendants and pilots lobby for new agreements.The Flight Attendants Association of Australia is preparing to launch legal action with Fair Work Australia, alleging breaches of maximum duty hour limitations defining how long crew can work under the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award.

And the Qantas-based Australian International Pilots Association has moved to help its fledgling Virgin counterpart, VIPA, with negotiations on an enterprise agreement. Both groups are opposed to a Virgin move to bring pilots and cabin crew under one enterprise agreement.

FAAA international division secretary Michael Mijatov said the union had written to V Australia several times about the flight limitation issue.
Mr Mijatov said the union, which had recruited 75 per cent of the airline's flight attendants, wanted to discuss the issue in the context of wider enterprise bargaining negotiations. "They are just being very, very difficult," he said. "They pretend to their employees that they're friendly and they care about them, but when you meet with them they are just totally arrogant and dismissive."

Mr Mijatov said the association expected to lodge its duty hour claim today and he was seeking legal advice on how to get the airline to the bargaining table. "One of the things I will be raising will actually be the option of notifying a bargaining period and that would be the first step in the potential use of industrial action."

A spokeswoman for Virgin Blue confirmed that the FAAA had raised a concern with management and said VAustralia had responded.

She said the airline had already agreed to start discussions on an EBA for the airline. "Currently we're simply awaiting the nomination of EBA representatives so we can proceed with that intention," she said.

But Mr Mijatov said a letter was received this week indicating the airline believed it was not breaking flight limitations and indicating it still wanted to keep all crew under one agreement.

He had spoken to both VIPA and the Australian Federation of Air Pilots and was aware that neither wanted an agreement involving cabin crew.
VIPA, which was set up last year, and AIPA said they were working together on ways to increase membership of V Australia pilots with the aim of negotiating a new collective agreement.

AIPA vice-president Richard Woodward said the current V Australia contract was capped at levels below those of most airlines. "We're a bit worried where that contract's going to go ultimately and I gather they're coming up for EBA negotiations, so we felt it was time to offer assistance unless they plumb the depths of pilot contracts in Australia, let alone the world," he said
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