FTP it was not a toy offer to the company to incorporate 3 months leave without pay in 2014. When I fronted the workforce for the first time to announce this across both crews outside the facility I reckon the meetings and briefs to members covered a couple of hundred workers. Initial reactions were only met by one person disappointed in what we had put on the table. If it was such a bad option, our Reps would have been accosted in the workplace by angry members and they only reported praise for what we were trying to do.
I touched on this in some notices but can show why this would have worked. 3 months of no pay would be very difficult for most. We had put to the company that this should be averaged over 2 years, so 12.5% less pay each week. In the first year there was a 3% wage rise 1 Jan so that year in real terms 9.5% less, 2nd year (another 3%) 6.5% less. ALAEA members to be offered interest free loans in case of hardship.
The company to exhaust annual leave first. Any unused LWOP to go into an account for each employee like your overtime bank. We had rehashed the maintenance plan to bring down the excess 737 work from Brisbane leaving bugger all whitespace. In all likelihood I doubt they would even need the LWOP.
If this was put to a ballot the blokes would have had a choice of what I put above, or closure. In the closure case you option would be zero weeks pay in 24 months. I'm pretty sure the ballot would have passed.