going down-under
Cat A will be implemented, no stopping that!
Sorry......
I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that 'A' Licences will be implemented.
What is in dispute is which union has legitimate coverage of the classification.
Our careers as licenced and unlicenced aircraft maintenance engineers are at a crossroads.
Qantas' desire to have the 'A' Licence covered by any union other than the ALAEA is motivated ultimately by the desire to cut costs. Great news if you are a shareholder or on a management contract because it means you should enjoy a boost in earnings as a result.
Bad news if you are an AME or LAME employed by Qantas because your career and earning potential will be cruelled.
For AME's thinking about voting yes for any agreement that results in the ALAEA not having coverage of the 'A' Licence, I respectfully request you think long and hard about the medium to long term ramifications.
Forget about the bluster around being labelled as roving strikebreakers - that will only happen once every three to four years when the ALAEA EB is in negotiation. People calling you names shouldn't bother you.
What you should be concerned about is the impact on your career and earnings potential if all Licenced staff are not covered by the one agreement.
With regard to AME delegates, they should be acting in your best interests, not in the interests of the union officials. Truly good and effective union delegates are a rare thing and they should be supported by the members. Bad union delegates are...well, bad and should be removed by the members.
Whenever a new classification is created, their will always be a fight amongst the unions about who should cover it (and receive the union fees and increased industrial presence that follows).
As I have said before, it is easy for any reasonable person to see that the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association is the union that should cover the 'A' Licence classification.