Jetstar goes back to the future in a huff __
AIPA email
In what can only be described as typically bizarre, senior Jetstar management decided to walk out of a Jetstar Pilot’s Consultative Committee meeting today, because Jetstar pilots had meekly and only sought to bring industrial representation along to the meeting as well.
As the photograph on AIPA’s website (CLICK HERE) attests, Jetstar would prefer to not be involved in a meeting with union representatives than to discuss its conduct with pilots.
To make matters even weirder, Jetstar pilots informed senior management in writing that they were going to be bringing AIPA and AFAP staff to the meeting and at no time was that challenged - until today.
Of course, the first item on the meeting agenda was a “discussion” about Jetstar’s decision to employ pilots on individual contracts, however that could not occur since Jetstar insisted that industrial representatives vacate the room before the meeting could proceed in a cuddly way between pilots and management. Without hesitation, that demand was met with a polite and unified “no” from the pilots.
So much for consultation. Indeed at a time when the ordinary person would think it quite appropriate for pilots to be able to seek immediate industrial relations assistance Jetstar management prefers to go back 100 years to revisit out dated Union avoidance tactics.
Pilots would be well advised to consider what Jetstar is afraid of to the extent that they cannot stomach a consultative meeting with union representatives in the room. The answer of course is that they are afraid of a united pilot body. Which, ironically Jetstar appears to be creating by its own out dated industrial relations approach.
Today may well mark the day that Jetstar pilots drew a line in the sand. If you want to make sure this line is deep and wide, ensure you and other pilots are members of AIPA.
I know that the JPC and AIPA guys have been putting lots of time into these things. But they can only plan, meet and write so much...if there is no reaction from JQ then things can only escalate.
Now we are starting to see what happens to an airline being run along the lines of "Wall Street" with predictable results to squeeze out more profits pressure test the markets. The only way this behavior will stop is through commercial impact and tighter regulation (senate enquiry). And we all know what happened to Wall Street!