History
The first precursor to the AFAP was the Australian Institute of Air Pilots and Navigators, which began Sunday evening, 18 May 1938 at the Moonee Ponds Town Hall in Melbourne, when a group of about 40 pilots and navigators, primarily from Victoria, but also from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia.
After World War II, it became the Australian Air Pilots’ Association (AAPA), taking on a greater role in traditional trade union matters such as contract negotiations and working conditions. In 1948, it was one of the organisations which came together to form the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, an international body representing the interests of professional pilots.
The AAPA was disbanded in 1959, when its entire membership resigned due to an arbitration system imposed by the government on all trade and industrial unions which was perceived as "incapable of understanding the profession." These members formed the AFAP, which initially operated as a pilots' federation outside the regulatory system of industrial and trade unions.
Thirty years later came the 1989 Australian pilots' dispute, one of the most expensive and dramatic industrial disputes in Australian history. The dispute was a response by the AFAP to a prolonged period of wage suppression, undertaken in support of its campaign for a large pay increase (which it quantified at 29.47%, though such claims usually form a starting position for negotiations). Beginning 18 August 1989, AFAP members imposed limitations on the hours they were prepared to work, making themselves available for flying duties only within the normal office working hours of 9am to 5pm. They argued that if they were to be treated in exactly the same way as employees in other industries, their work conditions should also be the same, the position adopted by the government of Prime Minister Bob Hawke. The dispute escalated, with Australian Defence Force personnel being used as strikebreakers and AFAP member pilots resigning en masse.
Read more about this topic: Australian Federation Of Air Pilots
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