The precedence has been set when Qantas A330's were transferred into Jetstar. The Qantas crew weren't allowed to transfer with the aircraft into Jetstar and were assigned all their long service leave and annual leave away. Low hours resulted with lower pay and extra training costs were taken on by the company to train Jetstar crews onto the A330
AngryRat, it is difficult to tell what exactly you are arguing for. What you say above may well be true but that doesn’t mean it has to be done twice. Was it a good thing? No? Ok let’s push for something else.
Now these 737's are being transferred into Qantas you think the Jetconnect crew should be transferred with the aircraft contradictory to how the Qantas crew were treated?
How a Group was treated Industrially in the past is not a blueprint for how all groups must be treated in the future. When I was young my father would give me the strap if I was too slow to do as I was told, shall I do that to my young daughter? If it’s useful yes, if it’s not helpful, no.
Putting JC pilots on the bottom of the list may be contradictory to how the QF A330 pilots were treated ( they didn’t get the option of joining the bottom of the Jetstar list?) but that doesn’t mean it is a bad option. The global pilot body needs to start making decisions that work well in the long term, and stop looking back with anger and suggesting tit for tat.
Ironically those commands that you say aren't currently available to Qantas pilots were the commands of Qantas pilots operating the Tasman until Jetconnect took over the flying at 35-50% cheaper.
Correct, but again, that’s looking back in anger. That ship sailed nine years ago, it is well over the horizon. Right now there may be an opportunity to bring those command opportunities back to the QF mainline pilots in the near future. Pretty much instantly a few commands would become available to mainline FO’s, and within five years a regular flow of commands ( and FO slots for mainline SO’s)would be available to mainline fo’s who had both the seniority and the inclination to move to NZ for a few years.
Also of note is that by not transferring with the aircraft the Jetconnect pilots would still get to keep or increase their pay and conditions by taking a position elsewhere in the group.
Don’t worry about them too much, the world is short of pilots at the moment. Think of the whole QF pilot group as a unit, it can get healthier, or sicker. A partisan approach right now (2017/18) and it gets sicker. ( Isn’t that what divide and concour IR is all about) . A broad strategic approach and it gets healthier.
I get it it's not the fault of the Jetconnect pilots but nor is it the fault of the Qantas pilots. I noted that you didn't answer whether a Jetstar NZ command on similar pay and conditions would be acceptable?
Sorry. I didn’t have any feelings about it one way or another so it slipped my mind. I imagine that some would like it and others would bail for China or Australia or take early retirement from the industry. I worked for JC when they flew -300’s and -400’s domestically so although I am interested I’m not losing sleep over it.
Is that because you don't work for Jetconnect? If it's not your fight then I can only see it as an opportunistic campaign, in case it were to happen to your entity within the group you would get a Qantas command out of seniority bypassing every pilot who came through the front door at Qantas.
Man alive, if that is all you can see then you must be fairly anxious/ wound up. Not everyone is scheming and conniving to bring you down. A less defensive mindset might allow you to see that the past doesn’t necessarily have to repeat and new opportunities do present every now and again. Don’t be blind to them.I am completely happy with my current command and if you offered me a QF 737 Command tomorrow I would not take it because wife and kids are very happy and the money is only slightly less where I am.
Your ten year old would benefit from a group seniority list but I can't see that happening until every union was onboard to push it.
Again, you can’t see something positive happening. What about one step at a time in the right direction ( ie JC going on the bottom of the list) Aipa would be pretty happy in that their membership would increase and their position become a fraction stronger. The only roadblock is QF management and they may well be onboard in order to lock in 50 737 crews that they can deploy on domestic Ops.
If the pilots strategy is to slowly get stronger and more unified, ( think Ryan Air) then it is a logical step. If the pilots strategy is non existent then we can look forward to more of the same in the next two decades.
You said yourself that it would be good for future pilots ( the ten year old) , well, there comes a time ( usually around 45 or 50 years of age) when most people start looking at the big picture and want to look after those that follow in their footsteps. Now is our chance.