AIPA President on Radio National

[Gingerbread]

Just heard BJ stumble and bumble his way through an interview with Fran Kelly on RN. A good start in the Oz this morning where Creedy wrote up the issue of J* employing pilots in SIN to fly into (and presumably around) Australia but it was all downhill after that.

BJ completely lost the goodwill of the interviewer by turning the matter into a union whinge about pay! Where was the standards issue BJ? Where was the suave, confident media manner that most still expect from a senior pilot?

Where was the media brief and the 3 points? Where was the media savvy? Probably more to the point, why did BJ sack the media company that ran the "Your Rights at Work" campaign? Where were the tactics in promoting the issue but most of all - and galling to those who endured his hypocrisy of the Qantas Sale Act case - he raised the issue of the QSA preventing Qantas from operating international passenger services in a name other than "Qantas"!

I almost fell over my chair damn near losing the weet bix!

This was the guy who crticised the previous President for too many court cases! This was the guy who got elected as Presdient by 20 odd COM members on the basis that "If we're nice to them - they'll be nice to us" and most of all . . . this was the guy who dropped the Qantas Sale Act case supposedly to gain access JQ flying for QF pilots - and got nothing for it!

And this was the guy who ran his Presidential campaign on the basis that we needed to stop "things falling through the cracks at AIPA" . . . yep, the cracks may have closed but the yawning chasm has replaced them!

Give it up Barry . . . this morning was the latest example how you have missed every opportunity presented to you. Where's the industrial strategy? Where's the legal strategy? Where's the media strategy? Where's the political strategy? Where the strategy with the fund managers and owners of Qantas?

Yes - being President is difficult . . . it's tough and tough decisions need to be made - you can't be liked by everyone.

Just remember Dicko's words: "Jetstar will never be bigger than 5 aircraft" . . . being nice to them NEVER works.

You missed the boat with J* setting up in NZ last year, you missed the boat with the QSA case and you missed the boat with this morning's hopeless interview. AJ would be even under more pressure from the board and fund managers without your assistance.

As has been said about a higher profile but similarly comic-tragic figure:

"He never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity".

[Gingerbread]

Here are the links:

Jetstar's pilot push under fire: Qantas pilots union | The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/jetstars-pilot-push-under-fire-qantas-pilots-union/story-e6frg95x-1225895785571)

Pilots angry over Jetstar's new 'group' company - Radio National Breakfast - 23 July 2010 (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/stories/2010/2961915.htm)

[The Professor]

"AIPA president Barry Jackson warned that Australian skies "could be full of foreign pilots on low wages" and with differing training and experience."

They already are.

This is industrial smoke screening. A greed issue disguised as a safety issue.

Does Barry object to Air Vietnam flying into Australia?

Does Barry object to Singapore airlines flying into Australia?

The travelling public dont care.

[Normasars]

can this circus just go away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fonz121]

Well that was cringeworthy.

So many opportunities to make a good argument about the points she was coming up with but it all just ended up a bumbling mess of words trailing off into the distance.

[KABOY]

I don't understand what tack AIPA are taking, is it about australian registered planes flying without australian pilots or pilots flying australian planes for less money???

This is a no win situation and all AIPA is doing is starting to show themselves as elitist's under attack.

You guys better develop a strategy with the public about something that doesn't involve being cheaper or inferior.

QF will fill these positions with Australians just to ensure there is no case, mark my words!

[3 Holer]

AIPA president Barry Jackson warned that Australian skies "could be full of foreign pilots on low wages" and with differing training and experience.

Captain Jackson said he believed Australian employment law was applicable to foreign pilots recruited to fly into Australia and anything less was "a transparent attempt at subverting Australian pay and conditions and should be seen as such by this country's political leadership".



They do say what goes around, comes around.
A little dejavu here but this time it's in QF's court!:{

[WoodenEye]

Those who stand for nothing while sitting on the fence can't be expected to have the courage to clearly express convictions they do not hold.

[UnderneathTheRadar]

Those who stand for nothing while sitting on the fence can't be expected to have the courage to clearly express convictions they do not hold.

Is it anatomically possible to stand for nothing while sitting on a fence?

[Gingerbread]

Actually, in this case, I prefer:

"Those who stand for nothing fall for everything."

[Captain Dart]

It only took AIPA twenty-one years to react to foreign pilots flying Australian aircraft...I don't normally use emoticons but here goes: :ugh:

[3 Holer]

That's a much better way of putting it Captain D !:ok:

[teresa green]

Oh boy, Captain Dart am I with you. There is nothing like watching your former aircraft taking off with a foreign pilot at the controls, sticks in your guts forever.:(

[Normasars]

disregard!!! Entered in error. Sorry.

[LondonSloop]

The Radio National interview hasn’t played well in the City.
Knights of the Empire are in a dither.
They say it’s time for you Aussies to decide which fork Qantas will put on the table.

[Gingerbread]

Pilots take Qantas to court over award wage (http://www.smh.com.au/travel/pilots-take-on-sham-qantas-arm-that-pays-less-20100726-10smq.html)

So where's media follow-up this morning? Did I miss the well organised assault on the airwaves by Capt Jackson? Or anyone.

It's a good story but amateur hour at AIPA means very little follow up.

By the way, the last media release on the AIPA website is 25 June. Time to update guys.

[teggun]

I find this very interesting,

"The pilots have asked the full bench of Fair Work Australia to vary the pilots' award so that it covers any wholly-owned subsidiary of Qantas, thus forcing the airline to pay the Jetconnect pilots Australian wages".

Wouldn't this then allow all the Qantas subsidiary's to gain intergration into mainline, and even allow the Regionals to re-open their intergration case from years ago that was never really appealed. after the decision was handed down.

Interesting.:eek:

[Taildragger67]

The Radio National interview hasn’t played well in the City.

What, the bit where it's up 10c in the last three days?

[WorthWhat]

Really! S&P released today its latest industry report card for Asia-Pac transport companies and S&P considers Qantas’ current credit metrics to be relatively weak for a BBB rating.

S&P may look through any short-term weakness but Qantas must tread carefully.

[Mstr Caution]

Teggun

Coverage & integration are two different issues.

For what it's worth, my opinion is all QF subsidiaries should have promotional opportunities to mainline, but a a fellow ppruner I'm not in a position to make it happen.

[MaxHelixAngle]

WorthWhat,

S&P considered Qantas' credit metrics to be weak for a BBB rating in it's Sep 2009 report, this is not new news. S&P have consistently been the most pessimistic amongst other credit rating providers.

Regards,
MHA

[WorthWhat]

Thanks Helix.
Will be exciting to see how the Radio National whinge and JetStar Asia’s push into Australia, NZ, Europe and beyond shapes Australia’s aviation policy, Qantas' strategy, Oneworld’s integrated global alliance plans.
Watch the share price closely.
Big freight train on the way.

[WoodenEye]

Yesterday the Full Bench of at Fair Work Australia found that AIPA has the ability to bring its Fair Work application. Understand that the next step in this process is for the Full Bench to decide if Jetconnect's NZ operations do form part of the Qantas Short Haul operations.

Hmmm! Given that Jetstar Asia is only 49% owned by Qantas and Jetconnect is 100% held by Qantas, can’t see how AIPA’s Fair Work Case can rope in Jetstar Asia’s offshore operations into Australian & Europe.

Can someone out there can please explain what is going on and how it will stop Qantas jobs hoping off to JetStar Asia.

[KABOY]

It won't, all they MAY achieve is Jetconnect operations being absorbed into mainline and the pilots going to Jetstar.

This will now force QF to expand their asian operations further, all for the sake of a few aircraft flying across the Tasman!

[breakfastburrito]

It all comes down to local jobs and local money, which is not compatible with the airline industry´s wave of globalisation...it is a truth and hard one to swallow, with no real second option as I see it.
The contract offers for second & third world countries that turn up in my inbox frequently offer deals very close to my after tax income. These deals include payment of local taxes.
Australia is a high tax / high cost of living country. These reasons alone explains the bulk of the apparent discrepancy between the headline rates of pay.

What the airlines really want is a third world cost/tax base, yet first world income. Tax, labour & regulatory arbitrage through a mobile & transient workforce.

As they are finding out in the US & Europe, you can only destroy middle class jobs with these type of strategies for so long before it removes the income & tax base that actually supports the whole system. An economy based on Low income service jobs / highly remunerated executives & not much else in between will fail.

In the short run it will boost profits for the companies, in the long term it will destroy the economy.

[neville_nobody]

I´ve found many foreign airlines´ standards and training equal or better than our beloved QF... please leave aside the "us and them foreigners" whinge. It all comes down to local jobs and local money, which is not compatible with the airline industry´s wave of globalisation...it is a truth and hard one to swallow, with no real second option as I see it.

No it doesn't. I humbly suggest you investigate the number of crashes Asian airlines have had in the past 20 years then get back to us on the bit about foreign airlines having equal standards. There have also been crashes in the middle east and even Pakistan recently.

Not to mention a fault in the 737 which ended in a major fatality in Europe which when occurred in a QF aircraft they just carried on and landed and wrote it up. So I would humbly suggest that standards and experience have EVERYTHING to do with it.

Additional to this who in foreign countries can afford to be a pilot anyway?? Australia is one of the highest wage earning countries in the world and becoming a pilot is a serious financial challenge, so if it is expensive for us to learn to fly how much more is it for foreigners?

[Travelair]

I see your point, just not sure you see mine...;)

[ernestkgann]

Breakfast burrito your point re relative net income and overseas airline wages is a good one. Airlines that have cost advantages courtesy of their governments (EK and the middle eastern juggernaut) distort our market. This is one of the reasons I think the Tasman has become an airline basket case. Allowing fifth freedom style rights to EK has allowed massive capacity dumping that serves only to lower the profits of the indigenous carriers. The benefit is lower price tickets to Europe and NZ.

[AnQrKa]

“I humbly suggest you investigate the number of crashes Asian airlines have had in the past 20 years then get back to us on the bit about foreign airlines having equal standards.”

Are you aware that there are airlines in Asia that have never had an accident? Are you aware that several airlines in Australia have had accidents?

“So I would humbly suggest that standards and experience have EVERYTHING to do with it.”

I would suggest these are two VERY different things. My observation from flying in Australia and Asia is that Australia has rather poor standards masked by generally high experience levels.

Neville, what experience do you have flying for Asian based airlines?