PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF NEOCNEECHATU-ULNMM Y
AUGUST 1989
8 & OE -PROOF ONLY
PM: I'll make a brief statement and if there are any questions
you want to ask I'm available of course. I've just had a
very productive meeting with the representatives of Australian,
Ansett and IPEC. That meeting has taken some two hours.
We have reached a clear position as to the course of action
to be adopted in the face of what is a totally unacceptable
position which to this point has been adopted by the air
pilots union and their members. Let me make the point before
I go any further to say there's been no direction by Government
in this matter in regard to Australian, an airline which
we own. But the management of that airline has come
independently to this position, as of course have the two
private airlines, Ansett and IPEC. The simple position with
which we're faced is that we have an organisation, the Federation
of Air Pilots and their members who seek to put themselves
above and beyond the community by an unacceptably greedy
grab for remuneration. They do that in a context where the
Australian workforce generally have accepted very considerable
restraint over the period of the Accord in respect of wage
caims. They have done that because they see that when they
pursuie wage claims they have an obligation, not only in regard
ci their own members, but they have a broader obligation
irrd to the community as a whole. That restraint which
has eenexecise bytheAustralian workforce generally
is a'restraint which has paid off over the las*+ six years
in the . creation of some one and a half million jobs in the
community and a level of economic activity which has enabled
the creation of those Jobs. Both the Government and may
I say the airline operators h ' ave adopted the position that
we have in this position because of the recognition that
that responsible restraint which has been exercised by the
Australian workforce generally has been something that has
redounded to the benefit of Australia as a whole. We are
not going to tolerate a situation in which an already extremely
privileged salary group are going to be let free to pursue
their own self isIv interests in a way which would wreck the
wage fixing * agreements and principles in this country. We
express the hope, the Government and the airline operators.
that when the Federation of Air Pilots meets with the Commission
at four o'clock. tomorrow that the sorts of considerations
to which I have referred will lead them to the conclusion
that it would not only be against their Interests but against
the interests of their fellow Australians if they were to
adhere to their decision to operate against the principles
of the Commission and outside the system. And therefore
I express the strong wish and hope to the air Pilots and
their Federation that they will, on consideration, decide
to stay within the system like the rest of their fellow
Australian workers. Now if against that wish and that hope
they make the decision to go outside the system then they
must do so in the recognition, as I have said in the Parliament
of this country, that they will have left the system which
carries not only obligations to which I have been referring,
but which also carries rights. Once they go outside the
system, if that is their decision, which I hope they do not
take, then we have then discussed the next steps which must
be and will be taken to defeat this entirely unacceptable
campaign. We have discussed the contingency plans that will
be pursued by the airlines. That is the adoption of legal
processes against individual pilots and against their
organisation, which processes will carry significant penalties
for individual pilots and for the Federation. I say, without
equivocation, that when the airlines decide to initiate those
legal processes with significantly very drastic financial
penalties against individual pilots and their organisation
the airlines will be pursuing those legal processes with
the full support of my Government. We have also addressed
the situation of what will be confronting Australia if the
pilots decide on this course of action. There will obviously
be an overwhelmingly drastic curtailment of services available
to the Australian public. We have addressed what in, hose
circumstances we will be able to do to provide khtssentially
be emergency services, but not only emergency services but
some additional form of service for the Australian public.
We will pursue whatever courses are available to us as operators
and as a Government to provide such services. We also
believe that we need to look at the situation where the Pilots
Federation would be seeking to have five bob each way. That
is to go outside the system in respect of the major operators
O but as an organisation seek to remain within the system for
their members who are employed by these smaller airlines.
We will need, together as a Government and as airline operators,
to look at this question as to whether it's appropriate to
allow the pilots organisation to have that sort of benefit.
It may well be something that we think that the Commission
should look at. So in total I think you can see therefore
that our position can be put simply this way. That we still
express the wish and exercise the hope that good sense will
prevail on the part of the pilots and their organisation.
It is not acceptable to the Australian public, that is obvious,
and it is certainly not acceptable to my Government or to
the airline operators that one already extremely privileged
group of people should seek to put themselves above the rest.
And remember this, that we are hardly talking about a group
of people who are excessively over-worked. On average these
people are flying at the stick no more than 10 hours a week.
Perhaps the Australian public is not aware of that. That
is what they're doing. Working some ten hours a week at
the stick. That group of people who are already highly paid
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-on average some $ 70,000 or $ 80,000 a year seek now to
get a 30% increase outside the wages system. Let me tell
the Federation and their members that is not on. We will
not cop it and we will give the full support of my Government
to the airline operators to fight this.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, what are those legal processes? Can
You outline themn?
PM: I'm not going to go into the full details because they
obviously have to be finalised. But let me in broad terms
say that there are a range of legal opportunities available
to the airlines, common law Processes and so on which will
be available to them to seek penalties and damages against
individual pilots and their organisation..
JOURNALIST: amount to a suing and breach of contract?
PM; O8viously if you're talking about common law actions
those sorts of things are in contemplation. And when I say
in contemplation we're not ' will we do it or won't we do
it' I mean if they make the decision to go outside the
system then it's not a question of will these actions be taken.
They will. They will be taken. The form and details a
now in the process of being finalised.
JOURNALIST: When you say that the Commission should perhaps
have to take a look at the Federation if they try for a bob
each way, are you talking there about having them disbanded
PM: As far as we're concerned now and as far as the operators
are concerned the I mean if they go outside the system,
that is after four o'clock tomorrow, we want them to stay
in it, but if they were to go out then as far as the
@ 1 operators are concerned the Federation of Air Pilots doesn't
exist. The airline operators will not in those circumstances
be dealing with the Federation. They will be dealing with
individual pilots. So in that sense as far as the major
airlines are concerned and in respect of whom the pilots
would've made the decision to~ outside the system, the
Federation ceases to exist. What we're saying is that at
this point they believe that~ however, they can go outside
th e system for the major airlines but still have the benefit
of the system in regard to their members who are employed
by smaller airlines. We're going to have to look at the
I. question of Whether it's appropriate and whether we'
may have to ask the Commission as to whether it's appropriate
that they can have any status atQ1ithin a system which they
have deliberately said to go to fiell.
JOURNALIST: If the worst scenario happens and this action
has to be taken by the airlines with your support, what sort
of things could you do to help out the public airline services. 0
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PM: Well, I suppose if we're going into a battle situation
not of our making because we are people of peace. We want
them to stay within the system. But if you're going into
a battle situation of their making I think all good generals
would say it makes sense to keep the powder dry.
JOURNALIST: Would you allow Qantas to fly domestic routes?
PM: YOu heard my previous answer.
JOURNALIST:. That's an option though.
PM: There are all sorts of options available to us.
JOURNALIST: ( inaudible)
PM: THere are all sorts of options available to us.
A& ends