Kaptin M
As far as I'm concerned, a decent portion of blame for the poor salaries offered by DJ, and hence the current downward pressure on wages & conditions, can & should be attributed to those at the very top of the DJ organisation, along with the AFAP.
As I understand it, the original core group of aircrew were quite happy to return home to Australia, and accept wage rates that were
below the going rate within the Australian industry at the time. Why they did this I don't really understand - perhaps as others here have suggested, they had made quite good money overseas & were willing to sacrifice that in return for the ability to live & work in Australia once again.
However, in doing so, they not only did a great discredit to themselves (as they are now only too well aware) but also managed to 'sell out' the following generation of pilots. Once the precedent had been set by these fellows, the most senior within the company, how was anyone junior to them expected to get a decent wage, in line with the existing market conditions.
As I understand, the rot also involved the AFAP - if they did in fact sanction this wage agreement for DJ pilots. What is the point of having a union if they are going to bend over backwards and sell out their members?
I'm all for stopping the current erosion in terms & conditions for technical crew within the Australian airline industry. However, if this is the behaviour of the most senior & respected pilots, coupled with the primary negotiating union for the pilot body, what chance do we stand?
The ball's in your court...