C0011/498, Transcript of Proceedings [2004] AIRCTrans 2427 (29 June 2004)

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TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS

O/N 11971

AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL

RELATIONS COMMISSION

COMMISSIONER RAFFAELLI

C No 00114 of 1998

OVERSEAS AIRLINES AWARD 1994

Review under Item 51, Schedule 5,
Transitional WROLA Act 1996 re
award simplification

SYDNEY

9.30 AM, FRIDAY, 18 JUNE 2004

Continued from 6.5.04

THESE PROCEEDINGS WERE CONDUCTED BY TELECONFERENCE

PN86

THE COMMISSIONER: Well, where are we?

PN87

MS PHILLIPS: Commissioner, the last meeting that Ms White and I had was last Friday. We're probably at the point now we realise where it's a case of seeing whether it's a practical structure that's been developed to date and what sort of tweaking needs to be done and with respect to that we're looking to in the coming week apply some current job descriptions and see whether it's a workable structure that we have put together and one that's easily understood so to avoid obviously the situation where we'll have been met resolving disputes after the structure has come into place.

PN88

So we were planning on meeting again next week and I understand that the application to vary the current award for the safety net has also been filed and is to be heard before you next week.

PN89

THE COMMISSIONER: Yes, on Friday, I think.

PN90

MS WHITE: So certainly from our point of view it's the testing it against job descriptions and getting an understanding that it's going to be easily understood in a range of airlines. We're meeting, I think with some airline representatives as well to go through how they see it working so that we're clear about it. We're just looking at it at the moment and some of our people are having difficulty in understanding how it might apply and we just want to make sure that its application is understood because the trouble with these airlines is some of the terms we've used means different things to different people and we we've just got to try and get over that and get a clarity from both sides what we're meaning in the descriptive because that's appears to be a hurdle.

PN91

The difficulty, Commissioner, is that in a number of these airlines also they don't actually have position descriptions so it's a bit difficult but we're getting some of them. We're going to work together to test that it's okay as Ms Phillips says. That's the concern because we both want to avoid as I think we've said previously, we want to avoid disputes as a result of all of this.

PN92

THE COMMISSIONER: Yes.

PN93

MS WHITE: We could probably be in a position to let you know next Friday because I'll be there as well.

PN94

THE COMMISSIONER: Well, we might have a brief report as to what's happened on Friday.

PN95

MS WHITE: Because as I said we're meeting on, I think we've programmed Tuesday so we would be in a position then to tell you how that went and what we're thinking, what else we need to do.

PN96

THE COMMISSIONER: Well, what we might do is in the circumstances adjourn and we will have a brief discussion about it next Friday. Is that all right with you, Ms Phillips?

PN97

MS PHILLIPS: Yes, Commissioner. Sorry, just to confirm, is that at the same time as the safety net is it or was that via teleconference?

PN98

THE COMMISSIONER: Are you coming up for the safety net hearing?

PN99

MS PHILLIPS: I am in Sydney so I will be there, yes.

PN100

THE COMMISSIONER: Are you, Ms White?

PN101

MS WHITE: Yes, I'll be in Sydney, too.

PN102

THE COMMISSIONER: I think they're on at 11 o'clock. In fact, we might meet briefly before those hearings, maybe at 10.45.

PN103

MS PHILLIPS: Yes, that's fine.

PN104

MS WHITE: That's fine.

PN105

THE COMMISSIONER: So I won't send out a specific notice about that but if we're there 15 minutes earlier, we might be able to have a bit of a discussion about it. Thank you.

ADJOURNED ACCORDINGLY