Juan Tugoh
Totally agree that it is a case of perceptions. One of the things I find depressing about this dispute is that the more that one digs, the dodgier the dealings of the people that members depend on to represent them appear to become.
Let's be honest. The bulk of the reps are CSDs. That's like asking your supervisor to understand your position, including the issues or otherwise with the chain of management that starts with him or her. So they can't really relate to the shop floor issues, because they are part of the chain of command. Any comment that threatens their position is hardly going to be escalated.
I don't want to be overly critical, but having a chairperson who has sadly been on long term sick does mean that they are out of touch with what is happening at the coal face. More so if they are domiciled overseas. In that situation, wouldn't it have been better for the chair to have stood down until their health returned and let someone else take up the reins. Apart from anything else, it might have helped with succession planning.