Australia Employees Association (A.E.A.) – SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BRANCH
Prior to 1977 there had been general dissatisfaction with services provided by the F.C.U. in the Airways industry. In December 1976 employees in T.A.A. Traffic instructed the F.C.U. delegates to seek advice as to ways of improving union representation.
Consultation took place and in Mid. 1977 the A.E.A. was formed in N.S.W. with the object of establishing a separate branch within the F.C.U. to cover the Airway Industry.
Thereafter branches of the A.E.A were established in QLD., S.A.,W.A.
In July 1978, the Federal Secretary of the A.E.A. wrote to the Federal President of the F.C.U. requesting on behalf of the members of the A.E.A. the establishment within the F.C.U. of a separate branch to cover the Airway Section.
The request was declined and in December 1978 members of the F.C.U. in the industry were advised that they would be expelled from the Union and removed from the industry if they associated with the A.E.A.
A meeting of the Federal Council of the A.E.A. was convened in Sydney on 2 February 1979 and it was resolved that the A.E.A. should commence to employ full time organisers to service the clerical area in the industry. To do this a recruitment drive was instigated with the object of increasing the membership to 1000 by July 1979 in order to finance the first full time organiser. The response was remarkable and by April 1979 the object was obtained and the first full time organiser was appointed.
The Federal Offices and the organiser visited the various Branches of the A.E.A. and were made aware of a commonly held belief that the A.E.A. should seek registration as an organisation of employees under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act.
Accordingly a further Federal Council Meeting of the A.E.A. was held in Melbourne on 18th May 1979. The Victorian Branch was then established and it was resolved that Federal Registration be applied for.
The A.E.A. Membership were advised of the decision to seek registration by newsletter on 22 May. This proved to be a fundamental mistake in that the Conciliation & Arbitration Act only provided protection for members of a union that has actually lodged an application for registration. Therefore, any employees dismissed prior to the lodgement were vulnerable.
On 29 May consultation took place between representatives of the F.C.U. and Ansett in Melbourne where plans were drawn up with the object of destroying the A.E.A.
Ansett consulted T.A.A. and Qantas with the object of obtaining their agreement to dismissal from the industry of the Branch and Federal officers of the A.E.A. T.A.A. agreed, Qantas declined.
On the 31st May Mr. K. Atkinson (the Secretary of the A.E.A. Victorian Branch) was dismissed by T.A.A. and Carol Stark (the President of A.E.A. Victorian Branch) were dismissed by Ansett.
On 1st June Perry Dean (the Federal Treasurer) was dismissed in Sydney by T.A.A. and Hewen Morrison and David Bates (both members of the N.S.W. executive) were dismissed at Sydney by Ansett.
On 1st June Bob Emmett (President A.E.A. Queensland Branch) was dismissed by Ansett in Queensland and John Ross (Secretary A.E.A. Queensland Branch) was dismissed by T.A.A. in Queensland.
Thereafter on 1st and 2nd June A.E.A. members in T.A.A. and Ansett Traffic Sections ceased work in N.S.W., Queensland S.A. and W.A., and were replaced by Staff. Some members of the F.C.U. continued to work.
On 4th June meetings of members of A.E.A. in N.S.W. Queensland Victoria S.A. W.A. and Tasmania resolved that the application for federal registration be lodged by the 6th June so that members could be protected from dismissal by reason of their association with the A.E.A. It is contrary to the Conciliation and Arbitration Act to dismiss an Employee by reason of his membership of an Association which has lodged an application for registration.
On the 4th June the Federal Secretary of F.C.U. and industrial representatives of T.A.A. and Ansett from Melbourne visited Adelaide. A meeting of members of A.E.A. was conducted at Adelaide at mid-day. The Federal Secretary of the F.C.U. visited the meeting and thereafter Grahame Pine was dismissed by Ansett and Grant Dawkins was dismissed by T.A.A. Both were executive members of the A.E.A.
On 1st June a dispute had been notified to the Industrial Registrar on behalf of “the members of A.E.A.” and that matter was listed for hearing in Melbourne on 7th June. The application for registration of the A.E.A. was lodged at 12.20 p.m. on 6th June. On the recommendation of the Federal Council of the A.E.A. work was resumed in all traffic sections in Ansett and T.A.A.
On 6th June Ansett dismissed a member of the A.E.A. in W.A. five members in Queensland and 31 members in N.S.W.
At the hearing before Colham J. at Melbourne on 7th June, Ansett and T.A.A. objected to the Arbitration of the matter on the grounds that there was no dispute between the employers and the registered union (Federated Clerks Union). Coldham J. found that as the matter involved dismissed employees he did not have jurisdiction to proceed further with the matter.
In all T.A.A. has dismissed 4 members of A.E.A. and Ansett 43, a total of 47. Many of those dismissed had long service up to 28 years.