str

Sounds like the ideal time for the FAAA to run a counter offensive billboard campaign as someone else mentioned on PPRuNe.

west coast girl

you are so on the money xchange & str
NOW is the time to do something. not wait for the few months /weeks leading up to the next EBA negotiations.
now the faaa must move and it has to be sustained.
they have to whack their agenda on the table early and the company is put on the defensive.
the goal: the phased in closure of the BKK & AKL bases over the next 2 EBAs-and no more employment of foreign nationals onto the LHR base. THIS IS AN FAAA "PRE CONDITION "CLAUSE!!
NOT NEGOTIABLE NOT FOR BARGAINING.

with no disrespect to the senior management of Qantas cabin sevices -we have a new zealand lady and an english gentleman running the show- part of our Aussie cultural cringe in believing our own aren't good enough
with all honesty these two people may have no affinity or empathy with the issue of keeping Australian jobs in Australian hands. They have targets to reach, bottom lines to achieve, bonuses to be had.
AS the Sustainable Futures targets become more unrealistic and UNACHIEVABLE, management is looking to the very unimaginative area of salaries and wages to reduce costs. Instead of growing the business and generating profits , they cannabilise the workforce.
On their retirement they may look back with a wry smile and say they helped a lot of their fellow kiwis and poms get work - but at the expense of young Australians. Australia will be an employment waste land if our big companies -namely Qantas -keep exporting jobs to "New Dehli"
The only course of action for the union IS TO SHAME QANTAS INTO STOPPING THIS UNAUSTRALIAN WORK PRACTICE.
Joe Public has to be made aware what is happening inside one of the great Aussie ICON COMPANIES.
Yes, its jingoistic -but you got to play geoff & Singo at their own game.
With the limitless cap pre-condition in the AO EBA the company has clearly signalled that offshoring f/a jobs is a busines strategy of the future. This is perhaps the "angle" the media needs to be fed now. Any increas in base sizes must then be heavily reported to the public.
The mum & dad shareholders need to be made aware of this.
When you call your comany "Australian Airlines", when you buy the copyright to "I Still CAll Australia Home", then you systematically employ all foreign cabin crew at third world salaries - this hypocisy is enough for any Aussie to vomit into their TV Dinner as the ad runs.
The public aren't stupid and they may just get angry enough to act with their share purchases and choice of airline ticket.
Its our only chance for L/H survival as we know it.
This is why the FAAA must employ a serious PR company to implement a public information campaign.
It should be humorous to keep the publics' interest and as we know, Qantas Manangement have no affinity with humour & will not know how to combat it.
Shame Singo is geoff's drinking partner - his company may have got behind a campaign like this...maybe Dick Smith? Maybe we could get some high profile actors to donate their time? (their industry has gone offshore to the States)
Its not about racism - ITS ABOUT NATIONALISTIC FERVOUR.
We can feel for the world's poor, but Qantas does not have to provide a f/a job for them al!!
Somebody get into Dick Smith's ear.
Maybe get some of the writers from th cabin crew review onto this project. Get the public laughing at Qantas' pathetic attempt ot offshore employment.
If you can make Marg and the board a PUBLIC LAUGHING STOCK -YOU WILL SHAME THEM INTO A CHANGE OF BUSINESS COURSE.
"Can you guess where I'm calling from?...The New Dehli Hilton....."
voice over-"Qantas Airlines .....outsourcing Australian jobs to India since 2005".
SHAME THE BRAND AND JUST WATCH THINGS MOVE BACK IN OUR DIRECTION!
iTS LEGAL AND WE HAVE RIGHT ON OUR SIDE!

cabinfever

West coast girl...I love you!!!!

If I were straight I would marry you!!!...anyway...

Finally, we are starting to look at some solutions...instead of fighting between ourselves...i like your ideas..sure they need some professional input, but they are the direction I believe we should go in...The public may not care about our woes but lets see how they react about the ICON they love 2 call AUSTRALIAN

I will be at the union meetings that are supposed to be coming up and I will be making this suggestion

Keep the fires burning...

Cart_tart

WCG - Check your PM's
CT
xx

lowerlobe

Does anyone know if the tech crew have moved back to their old hotel in LHR or is it just a rumour?

If they have moved back , does anyone know what the trade off was between the company and their union was?

Maybe then the faaa could get the idea to negotiate a deal with the company instead of rolling over everytime!

A publicity camapign similar to wcg's could be the answer,make the company answer some questions from the press and let the public , especially those looking for jobs or those parents with kids that one day will be looking for a job understand what QF is doing .

We have to be pro active instead of submissive .

qcc2

one could be sarcastic and suggesdt the techies signed off the LAX hotel in exchange for being back at the millenium in lhr and nyc. techies doing deals behind cabin crew. wouldn,t be the first time.

26 May 2005

Attention All Qantas Long Haul Cabin Crew Members
DIVISIONAL SECRETARY\'S REPORT - STATE OF THE UNION-
It is appropriate that I take this opportunity on the first anniversary of my and my fellow Divisional Officers\' election to comment on the challenges that lay ahead.

The membership resoundingly decided in Branch elections in late 2003, and the Divisional Officers\' election in early 2004 to put the FAAA on a new course. The mandate that you endorsed was for the senior leadership to run the FAAA in a professional and competent manner and to restore the industrial credibility of the FAAA International Division.

We promised to run the union efficiently, to inform you about issues in a comprehensive and factual manner, and above all, to focus on the job security of members . I also indicated to you on behalf of all elected officials that we would always be direct with you and that decisions would be made on the basis of what is best for the long term interests of our membership.

Difficult decisions have been, and will continue to be made, to protect job security irrespective of whether they are popular or not . These decisions will be made after appropriate analysis of issues and on the basis of relevant industrial and legal advice. Naturally, we will communicate such decisions to you with an explanation for their rationale. We will of course, also seek your input on major issues where possible and appropriate.

It needs to be stated that your elected officials are not masochists. We do not make difficult or controversial decisions to anger, upset or annoy our members or because we like to be criticized. We do so for one reason only - because we believe such decisions are in the strategic interests of our members and their long term job security.

The vast majority of you would understand that we are in a very challenging environment. Qantas is pursuing massive cost savings to ensure, from its perspective, ongoing viability and to maintain and increase profit levels. Qantas is initiating policies such as the directed long service leave program, the reduction in slips, the allocation of international flying to other Qantas Group cabin crew, not because it necessarily dislikes long haul flight attendants. They do it because it reduces their costs and because the Board and senior executives are pursuing policies that maximize profits.

The Australian voters have re-elected the Howard Government that is about to implement further “industrial reform” that will not be union friendly. Added to this environment is the fact that other Qantas Group cabin crew, whether they be Australian Airlines, Short Haul or Jetstar, are significantly less costly than Qantas Long Haul crew.

All of this may sound daunting and depressing. Should we all be crying doom and gloom and be resigned to a bleak future? The answer is no! However, there are no easy or magical solutions. What is required is focused, consistent and competent leadership by the FAAA, and a courageous approach to these challenges that will not only ensure that no one from this Division faces redundancy, but also that we collectively confront these challenges in a creative manner that may actually provide the environment for growth in this Division.

I urge you all to participate in thinking about these issues. I also urge you to dismiss the uninformed gossip and rumour that is circulated by individuals who have no idea about the myriad of complex issues that the FAAA has to deal with. These ill informed individuals only manage to mislead and confuse crew and quite often these individuals choose the cowardly option of spreading anonymous information.

It needs to be stated that decisions taken by the senior leadership of the FAAA are done in a systematic and comprehensive manner with the advice of our legally qualified Industrial Officers. It is not done in some unprofessional or haphazard manner. It also needs to be said that it is not possible on every occasion to disclose all information, which the FAAA uses to arrive at decisions, because at times this is sensitive and confidential.

Most Cabin Crew realize that FAAA officials have been elected by the membership to ensure that agreements entered into with Qantas are in the best interests of cabin crew. We too are cabin crew, and we do not, and will not, act in a manner to intentionally damage our collective interests - quite the opposite.

To use the example of the New York dispensation; fundamentally that decision was made to protect our flying. If the dispensation was not given, Qantas would have used NZ based crew. This would mean more LA flying would be withdrawn from Australian based crew and allocated to NZ crew. More importantly, it would also signal to Qantas that the FAAA and Long Haul cabin crew are not serious in protecting our flying. In those circumstances, there are other Qantas Group cabin crew who are considerably cheaper than us who could be utilized to do that flying. The damaging implications to our members\' job security that would result should be obvious to all .

Finally, as the head of the FAAA I will continue to pursue and recommend to my colleagues policies that will enhance job security, not destroy it. I do not apologise for this stance and I believe the majority of crew would support this direction.

I intend on issuing further newsletters shortly addressing key issues. I ask you to take the time to read each of these carefully and to discuss these important issues with your colleagues. The time has arrived to initiate serious and considered debate amongst the membership on complex matters.

Difficult issues must be confronted and addressed by our membership if this Division is going to continue to be relevant and secure.

Written by Michael Mijatov – Secretary International Division


mijatov,s comment:
are significantly less costly than Qantas Long Haul crew.
wasen,t he on the excecutive when they negotiated the AO award. didn.t he know it is going to come back and bite longhaul.
and as for the kiwis, they now take my y/c slots on hnl nrt akl lax runs. so what,s the difference?
really a pathetic excuse for continuing rolling over.

jesski

suelle-
would have been about 4 weeks now? make sure u let us know when u hear anything!!
i still havent done the drug test... $$$ running low haha but ill do that tomorrow and then ive got a wait ahead of me.
jess

"F" module

I think the Sandgropper sheila is onto something.
reading other posts here it looks like Jet Connect NZ is to be used as another off shore base by stealth.
we really have to do something about this.
A suburban lawyer will tell you that if you continue to flog a company called Australian Airlines yet fill it full of foreign cheap Asian labour -sorry but kiwis are our poor relatives that
s why Bondi is full of them - this practice must border on criminal false advertising & marketing .
the public need to be told this .dixon will cringe and maybe stop offshoring the f/a position.
impact the brand -and you'll impact the board and its decisions.
the no cap issue in the AO EBA needs to be broadcast far and wide - the implications for Australian jobs is obvious.
the reason the One Nation phenomena was so strong was because the Australian people feared job losses through unrestricted arrrival of boat people.
Dixon is literally putting f/a jobs onto a boat for them and shipping them off shore to the third world.
Australians will get angry.
Use radio talk back
write letters to the major papers (use your sister's marrried name as its against our employment contract to bag the company in public)
get the billboards leading onto the Harbour Bridge up and running
get finance from the ACTU. This could be a litmus test for corporate Australia -if Qantas gets away with it -all will follow.
eye in the sky -you've got your story sitting right in front of you.
Are you impartial enough to air it?

Gomam

maybe of interest, may not be, but if enough people write to these blokes u could get your story on the tv

http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/contact_suggest


[email protected]

http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/storyidea/story_ideas.asp

although media watch tends to cover more on whats gng on with the papers, im sure they would love to know what qf are up to. (advertising an aussie airline, still call australia home etc etc)

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/tipoffs.htm

hope this helps

easternboy

From an article on ninemsn.com.au today

But customs checks of air crew were relatively rare, despite evidence showing they were "an extremely high risk", the report said, pointing to Asian-recruited Qantas crew as possibly being involved in the importation of drugs.

qcc2

jet connect is going to fly some shark patrols on the airbus. under nz rules they can operate 1f/a to 50 pax. also techies and cabin crew are cheaper then virgin and jetstar. its all the way down hill. bastardisation of the qf brand. also refer to the jetstars eba thread

Butterfield8

Have a look at Standing Bids,New Route Codes in the CIS screen.There are 30 new codes, all of them for offshore bases.Everything from HNL ,NRT to FRA go to offshore bases.
The New Longhaul...Akl day trips.

Pro Golfer 69

It actually looks better then 238. At least there's no Perth, Cairns or Christchurch returns. Those offshore route codes are just replacing old ones which are now N/A but yea it's nothing to write home about!

qcc2

airbus told gd in tikyo that the A380 is a minimum of month delayed. now we can look forward flying the old 767/747-300 a little longer.

friendly fokker

FAAAs state of the union address - what a joke!

"They dont make decisions in an unprofessional or haphazzard manner! "Yeah right!

I have been informed by a senior official that two of the biggest decisions were conducted by a ring around of the FAAA executive. Yep, no sit down lengthy discussion with all the executive present. No opportunity to take a day or two to consider the facts and the implications. No time available to discuss these decisions with some of the membership they are supposed to represent. Because QF needed a decision ASAP the FAAA jumped.

The issues were 1) the EBA that we found out had been agreed to one morning when we woke up. Overnight those officials who werent in the office on the days prior were phone contacted for their supoort then and there - while they were on the phone. The other great phone around I believe was 2) the dispensation for the JFK shuttle.

I have no reason not to believe this very senior official.
Perhaps when some meetings of the membership are convened then you can ask the question is this how a concensus was arrived at on these two very important issues?

cartexchange

Just had a look at the new bid book 239, the JFK/LAX patterns have been sweetened up, the slips in lax have been greatly extended, they all have 46 hours on the way up and then 46, 72 or even 83 hours on the way back.
Where is the supposed huge cost saving on accommodation? pattern WC05 there is a total of 6 days slip in lax(both ways)
Ohhhh QANTAS what are you up to!

OCCR

It will only be for the 2 bid periods whilst the "trial" is going.
you watch after that things will change, the cost cutters will get their hands on it.
In the meantime, people will bid for them as the 6 days slip will be great, and the FAAA will say "see nothing to worry about"

White Pointer

Especially since everyone is jumping over each other to spend as much time in Misadventure (sorry, Downtown) as possible.

qcc2

i agree with occr its a sweetner for the time being. once again the faaa doesn,t see the greater picture behind it.
the only money they save is on the hotel in lax.
and friendly fokker is right the last eba was not done with ALL excecutive,s agreement. as a matter of fact one wasn,t even there, was only told afterwards.

lowerlobe

Just a thought.......

QF asks if faaa gives them a permanent dispensation for the JFK slip,they will give us back the 2nd night in LHR.

As usual the faaa will say yes to anything the company asks!!!!

Then QF reduces the slip in SIN on the way home from LHR to one night as they have with the FRA trips and we still have lost JFK....

Vote NO to giving the dispensation for the JFK slip..