Nice post 410.
I had nothing to do with the pilot's strike in '89. My comments were those of a moderate aussie pilot (non scab who we shall name "Bob")that worked here until recently. we shared many beers at the Dilmun Club and Sherlock Holmes bar, you could say, as only you aussies can - we were great mates! He was very bitter about the strike, but his anger was directed more at the main players rather than the rank and file. Bob regarded Hawke, Abels and McCarthy as extreme egotists and all with their own political agenda.
He made the classic mistake of not giving himself (and us!) a way out when he lay the gauntlet down.
Bob was very annoyed with this. He would say "you never go into battle without an escape route". There never was a back door for the AFAP,due mainly to McCarthy's incredible arrogance and confidence of an AFAP win. The tactics used against the pilots were despicable and unprecedented, no one can deny this, however, when you are taking on a government, big business, the union movement and the general working public of australia (who were all bound by this accord) you must expect the unexpected. Bob criticised the decision of the AFAP to continue their futile campaign when it was clear to everyone that the companies were never going to negotiate and were (be it very slowly) rebuilding the airlines with foreigners,new joiners and returnees. Bob never had a bad word to say about anyone, but bring up the names Hawke, Abels and McCarthy and......well,it was entertaining.
He never blamed the blokes that went back after the war was lost - October, I think and reckoned he wouldn't give a ***** about being called a scab,"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" he would always say. when I asked him why HE never returned he just replied "I wouldn't work for a prick like Abels, couldn't stand being associated in a union with B.McCarthy in charge and wouold probably punch Bob Hawke in the mouth if I stayed in Australia much longer. That was Bob.
I shall be returning to the UK soon to fly for Virgin Atlantic. I just hope, during my career, I never have to go through what you aussies did in 1989.