One of the worst betrayals, if not the very worst betrayals of the labour movement by a Labor government in my time in this country. I argued at the time that it was a conscious decision to weaken the unions. There hasnt been much argument that that was the net effect. But now theres a confirmation just how far they were willing to go. I would be in favour of withdrawing any life membership of any unions from any member of that cabinet. Government paid for scab pilot labour to break strike The 1989 Australian pilots strike was a key major part of the deregulation of the Australian airline industry but the cabinet papers reveal just how far the Hawke government was to put its neck on the line to achieve change. Cabinet was deeply worried that if the pilots won its hard-won incomes policy and its overall economic policy would be shattered by a wages breakout. The pilots might be well-paid renegades, but the union movement was watching closely how much they might get, and how roughly they were treated by government. In August, pilots working for Ansett Australia, East-West, Ipec and Australian Airlines imposed limits on flying in support of a wage claim of almost that teetered close to 30 per cent. The strike by members of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots severely disrupted domestic air travel. On August 23, Hawke declared a national emergency. RAAF planes and pilots and overseas aircraft and pilots were used to provide services. For a Labor government, the Hawke cabinet was in the strange position of effectively encouraging the airline companies to employ overseas strike breakers. But cabinet gave even further help - it paid scab pilots from the public purse. The cabinet agreed that the net wage cost incurred by the airlines as a result of their not using their right to seek stand-down of employees who would normally be stood down, who stand ready to continue to carry out their duties as directed, but who cannot be gainfully employed, would be met by the government, according to a cabinet minute on September 12 said. The 1989 air pilots dispute hastened deregulation of the industry, but it also ended in the defeat of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots, with mass resignations reducing the unions bargaining power. Via John Scott theage.au/federal-politics/political-news/cabinet-papers-198889-university-fees-pilots-strike-pows-and-kodak-factory-20141231-12aqx0.html
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 03:22:08 +0000
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