This is a pilot forum so naturally the focus of discussions will fall towards pilot pay and conditions. As I stated before, the package that Qantas pilots and indeed a lot of staff are on are pretty good and I do NOT begrudge anyone these terms and conditions or their right to defend them. There is no doubt that Qantas management have done an appalling job of steering the ship and should be ashamed of themselves, that though does not change the point that the was Qantas is structured doesn't really fit in the modern age. My previous employer found its way into quite serious financial trouble during the GFC land came cap in hand to ALL the unions. My observation during that time was that if the union was willing to have meaningful negotiations the outcome for that particular group was vastly superior to those how failed to negotiate. As a pilot group we played our part by:
- Raising overtime thresholds
- Increasing the number of steps to the top pay from 24 to 30 years (smaller yearly increments)
- agreeing a freeze to overtime, allowances etc for 3 years
- working with the company on a VR deal for those who wanted it
In return for this the company allowed the Union to appoint an accounting agency and opened their books to the Union to show the situation was as advertised and also gave us some nil cost incentives such as enhancements to our staff travel, accessibility to unpaid / paid leave and part time.
Overall this lead to an immediate 8 - 12% saving to the company in Flight Ops costs. What strikes me about the current Qantas EBA's is that some of them are decades behind, the 12 pay steps is in this day and age very generous.
Of course the other side of the coin is that to be able to have a meaningful outcome of negotiations is that the Company must be willing to be open and flexible just as they expect the unions to be.
The unions in OZ worry me a bit as they do seem to be out of touch, when you had Barry Jackson rebutting media claims that an A380 Captain earns $500,000 per year by saying 'that is wrong, the average Captain ONLY earns $415,000' then I would say reality has been lost to the extent that this kind of public declaration makes the public think the Pilots are a bunch of greedy @&$/ers. You need public support during disputes and restructuring as it can pressure the company to resolve issues rather than going nuclear.
I guess what I am saying is that I am glad someone in this industry has the kind of terms and conditions that make the rest of us green and I hope you are successful in retaining these for at least the current group. Just be aware that when you say that your pay is not that 'great' and publish figures like the $415,000 don't expect much sympathy and support. I just hope the time for constructive talks is still available and we are not at the nuclear stage yet as I can say from experience this leads to a lot of ruined lives and careers.