Chadzat, I don't have to do any work to tarnish the TWU - Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon has spent months looking into them and other rogue unions, and done all the work for me. Everything I say is found on the public record.
I will agree with you that a good agreement is not solely the product of a union. It is the combination of a union's resources and official standing in the eyes of the law, and hard working, intelligent reps that talk to their members, put in the hard yards, and come up with what the pilots need and want.
However I feel I must pick you up on a common 'dodge' used by all sorts of organisations caught with their pants down. You cannot dismiss the TWU fiasco as the work of two individuals. The Hon Dyson Hayden does not buy that, neither do I.
"Rogues" v the organisation......
Some time ago, a helicopter crew had an engine failure in their multi-engine chopper at they departed from a Timor Sea platform. Given the phase of the takeoff, the commander followed SOP and conducted a controlled ditching into the sea near the platform. Sixteen oil company employees ended up in the Timor Sea, wet and understandably shaken, and the oil company came calling on the helicopter company asking what the hell were they doing putting 16 of their employees in the water. The helicopter company attempted to solve the problem by firing the pilots. No matter that the experienced pilots did exactly what the ops manual said - the organisation needed a scapegoat to keep in with the oil company, here are two perfect scapegoats.
When Singapore banker and rogue trader
Nick Leeson brought down the centuries old Barings Bank, the bank tried to blame that one 'rogue employee' for the disaster. However it was the directors of the bank that had to take the blame, for not exercising proper control and oversight.
When this perfectly serviceable B52 went down at Fairchild AFB, the 'rogue pilot' was blamed.... tragic, but the problem died with the pilot.... or did it?
USAF air safety investigator Dr Tony Kern was not going to be brainwashed by that bull****, and pointed to the numerous cultural deficiencies and lack of leadership in the USAF that permitted that pilot to take the controls that day. Have a read of Kerns excellent book
When caught with their pants down, political parties, helicopter companies, the military, banks and trade unions would like us all to believe the problem has 'gone away' with the departure of the 'rogues.'
The sad fact is, the 'rogues' operated within a system and a culture. Burton and McGiveron are gone, but they led the TWU WA for
years.... will take a long time to unpick all their threads, if it is possible at all....
In 2006 some disaffected pilots went looking for industrial support and mentoring, and hitched up with the TWU WA. Disgraced TWU official Rick Burton was THE man they looked to, and oversaw every aspect of the TWU involvement at Cobham.
He might be gone, but in
the eight years that he oversaw TWU activities at Cobham, he influenced how the reps operated, how the reps think, and what the reps expect.
I know the reps you talk about. They are all 'inputters' - they want to change things for the better. I say -
how much better would things be, if they could unshackle themselves from an organisation that....
- a Royal Commission has recently gone through with a fine toothed comb and found multiple problems with behaviour, financials and governance,
- has a problem working with brother unions,
- has taken more money from pilots than they will ever spend on pilots,
.... and team up with an organisation that has better resources, a pilots only focus, solid links with pilot unions worldwide, disciplined and transparent governance, and is happy to show any member where and how they spend their members money?
The TWU is in damage control, and will be for years. They are a truck drivers union (nothing wrong with that, my old man drove trucks) but pilots are a sideshow, money for their jam.
And sorry to point out, but it sounds like you are a TWU member yet you have had no briefing or bulletins from the TWU on the details of the TWU/Cobham SAR greenfield agreement.
That just underlines to me - the TWU does sweetheart deals with employers and in the words of Jim McGiveron, the pilots can "F- off."