Pay talks got off to a bad start at Skywest Airlines with the company demanding trade-offs in return for paltry rate rises.

Trade-offs is bad language as far as we are concerned and we almost told the Skywest negotiators to go and wash their mouths out with soap. In return for three 3% increases over three years they want to a major re-arrangement of pilot rosters that are more favourable to the airline. 

The new rosters would require pilots to do more hours for no more pay. No way Jose.
After the Ansett crash in 2001 Skywest employees took significant pay cuts to keep the the airline flying.

With our current agreement due to expire at the end of December we were planning on a bit of catch up.
Our claim is for 17% over three years - not 9% with trade-offs.

It now looks like we'll be heading down the same path taken by National Jet Systems pilots last year.
It took the threat of industrial action to get NJS to start taking their pilots issues seriously.

If there is no change in the attitude of Skywest the TWU will certainly be recommending an application be made for Protected Industrial Action.
Stoppages are well and truly on the cards. Skywest employ about 100 pilots and a majority are in the union. By early next year, when things start happening, we hope to reach maximum strength.

We will then be in a very strong position to press for a better deal than Skywest are offering.

CONTACT DETAILS

Paul Aslan -Phone: 9328 7477