OMG
Could it be true? Unions putting aside petty differences, seeing the bigger picture and working together to improve conditions for all involved and the betterment of the industry.
You better believe it!! This is great news for the industry in general and V Australia pilots in particular. And to those of you who are still sitting on the fence, waiting to see what the union will do: Get involved and join a union of your choice. EBA negotiations are happening VERY SOON, and and the higher percentage of the pilots are involved, the better the outcome!
JOINT STATEMENT FROM VIPA AND AIPA
18 February 2010
Virgin Blue, V-Australia, Jetstar, QantasLink and Qantas
Pilot Associations get down to business
Groundbreaking high level discussions have resulted in Australia’s main commercial
airlines’ Pilot Associations agreeing to work collaboratively for the benefit of all
airline pilots.
Both VIPA (the Pilot Association representing Virgin Blue, V Australia, and Pacific
Blue pilots) and AIPA (the Pilot Association representing Qantas, QantasLink and
Jetstar pilots) are together working on ways to increase the membership of V
Australia pilots prior to negotiating a new collective agreement with the Virgin
Airlines.
VIPA will utilise AIPA's international experience and expertise to assist VIPA
members within V Australia (V Australia pilots) to form a new collective agreement.
We are confident that our collaborative approach will serve us well for the future and
will also be a solid foundation for further combined efforts down the track.
It is clear that pilots are best served by unified Pilot Associations that work together
to resist the deskilling of pilots’ work and the negative effects of an increasingly
globalised economy where pilots continue to bear the brunt of continuous cost
cutting by airline employers.
As a recently registered association that is gathering momentum, VIPA looks
forward to contributing to an alliance that presents exciting possibilities for
Australian pilots.
John Lyons, President of VIPA, the Virgin Pilots Association and Barry Jackson,
President of the Australian and International Pilots Association, said in a joint
statement today.
ENDS