Spot on BB.
It must be realised that the respective Flight Ops departments of QF and JQ have to agree to activate the MOU, and I'm certain upper management of the group get the final say.
You can't just blame one group for the failing of the MOU system when there are so many parties at the table.
JQ and QLink guys can take some comfort from a statement made by management at a recent roadshow briefing within the last couple of weeks that I attended. It was acknowledged that, in the past, there was an understanding not to poach pilots from JQ and QLink. It was categorically stated that this WILL NOT be the case this time around. It was acknowledged that it is far better to keep our people within the group by allowing them to move to QF if they wish, rather than see that talent pool disappear to the desert, or some other competitor.
Very logical IMHO. If our people see they have job progression within the whole Qantas group they are more likely to stay.