ALAEA notice just going out -
RE: PIA BALLOT AND QANTAS MANAGEMENT
Members are reminded that PIA ballot papers need to be sent back asap as the closing date with the Australian Electoral Commission is on the Wednesday the 22nd at 1000 AM.
As an update we can only share limited information about the ongoing discussions that are taking place in Fair Work Australia. In simple terms I can say that we were in there again at 1000 AM yesterday, we left at 1600 and we didn’t have a deal. In general terms we would like nothing more than to negotiate an outcome without the need to take action however a negotiated outcome would be near on impossible without a successful ballot result. I suspect that Qantas would also like a negotiated outcome that delivers us a small wage rise and absolutely no job security whatsoever. Information we are being told from other quarters indicates that they plan to decimate the Qantas LAME workforce post agreement regardless of the damage they will do to their own business in the process.
On that note a post was made on Pprune seeking input from readers on how things at Qantas could be done better. The response was overwhelming with dozens of ideas. Earlier on in negotiations Qantas advised us that the International business was struggling and as most of you would be aware, the CEO has been expressing those sentiments in a number of public forums. From our perspective we are of the view that each of our 1600 LAME members want Qantas to do well but are often witness to decisions that are flawed and lead to poor productivity that in turn adds unnecessary cost to the business. Members report that the business is clearly being mismanaged.
Some of the decisions that concern us relate to small matters such as parts not being available when tasks are ready to commence, there are the bigger ones such as the implementation of a new layer of unnecessary management (Ops managers) that costs the airline about $5million a year in wages and then hugely expensive decision errors that are made at board level. The most recent that comes to mind is the ordering of A380 aircraft that already require a massive reconfiguration programme.
Many members have expressed frustration that common sense ideas that have been suggested by Qantas staff have been dismissed. It appears that Qantas talk a lot about engagement with staff who also want that but all they receive in return is lip service, this is something that we as a union also often encounter. The ALAEA are at a loss to understand why Qantas often make these poor decisions. For them then to come to us seeking concessions related to our employment conditions due to underperforming parts of their business is then viewed as an insult.
We do not know what is around the corner when it comes to management of Qantas. There could be changes on the board or a complete 180 by those currently in senior positions. A day will come when Qantas is again controlled by people respected by the workforce for their knowledge and wise decision making. When that day comes we would like to be in a position where we can assist turning the business into what it should be by providing them with the necessary ideas to do it.
The third page of this notice is a form for you to fill out if you like. It can be returned anonymously or with your name affixed. We would like your input on what Qantas are doing wrong and how they can fix it. The ideas can be as minor or major as you like and should be specific so we know what needs to be done. This notice should also be given to your manager and his mates as we are also aware that many of them face similar frustrations. Managers are more than welcome to participate with this project and should be aware that their names, as is the case for all members will be kept strictly confidential if given to the ALAEA.
The data will be collected and made into a presentation that would be used when we suspect that someone, be they the owners or new managers, are prepared to listen. It also may be used during negotiations when the other side claim that they want flexibility or savings, I suspect we will be able to throw other ideas that can save them tenfold other than attacking our jobs and conditions.
It is unfortunate that as a professional Association we feel that our input is required to help run this business before it is destroyed by the people running the show today. A board that contains not one person with hands on airline operational experience cannot be good for our futures and the last thing we need to see is another Ansett. It’s about time this mob started to listen to their most valuable resource and if they don’t like that idea, we’ll find someone who will.
A copy of this notice has been sent to Alan Joyce.
ALAEA FEEDBACK ON HOW QANTAS COULD BE RUN BETTER
Briefly describe what is wrong –
How this problem could be fixed –
Name (optional) ___________________________________________________
Please fax back to ALAEA on (02) 9554 9644 or email ideas to