Continuity

Having worked on 4 consecutive AOA General Committees, I hope my résumé, below, also shows how closely I’ve worked with the last 2 committees. Apart from being trusted colleagues with similar motivation, many of the current General Committee have also become my friends. I look forward to working more closely with them again. Furthermore, I hope Ted will agree that I have been one of his most effective supporters during his 2 terms as President. I must emphasise that I am not running against Ted as much as I am running for the position of AOA President. There is no internal division amongst the hierarchy of the Association and management would err if they thought otherwise.

Having had a breather for some months, I am ready to re-apply myself to the ongoing task. Our Association has been very effective over the last 5 or so years and we regained a lot of the ground we lost in 1994. However, despite some contractual improvements, we must continue with our efforts and attempt to regain some of the ground lost last year. We must continue to adopt the methods, and learn to apply new methods, that have been to our advantage in the past. In short, we must continue with our multi-path strategy. I believe that I am advocating a continuation of Association policy when standing for our Association’s Presidency.

I joined the AOA when I started at Cathay in 1988. Following the breakdown in management relations with COSAP in 1994, I joined the AOA committee. I held the Principal Officer positions of Director CoS followed by Secretary, and Communications Officer, until 1997. Having spent a year longer than planned on the Committee, I decided it was time to try and improve my golf. However, after a few months, the Committee beckoned again and I returned to hold the position of Vice President Professional until the end of the 1998. Additionally, I’ve served on the Communications and Industrial sub-committees, attended two IFALPA conferences and a Oneworld Cockpit Crew Coalition meeting.

Latterly, I’ve been involved with HKALPA. Apart from setting up the HKALPA communications infrastructure, I’ve been assisting the DragonAir Pilots Association, the Flight Attendants Union, and a member of the CAD-sponsored Flight and Duty Time Limitations Working Group (FTLWG), with Terry Heyes. The latter work has been particularly rewarding. It has enabled me to meet members of Legco and give representation on your behalf directly and personally to the Director of Civil Aviation. These tasks have kept me in close liaison with the Committee over the last 20 months.

One of our ex-members caused me to re-assess my actions as he thought I was "too militant". In 1996, we re-organised the Committee into 2 teams – one for negotiation and one for industrial matters. John Warham (President) and Murray Gardner (VPP)  took on negotiation, whilst Nigel Humphries (VPA) and myself were responsible for others matters, including communications. This strategy was tested successfully for its effectiveness last year. It is necessary to explain the wide gulf between management and the pilots. Most of you will understand why we had to say what we said. The ex-member may have been correct, but that was my job. I will continue to enunciate our Association’s point of view to whomever cares to listen. The "soap box" approach isn’t effective with Government bodies or the oligarchy of IFALPA and I’m confident that I've proven that I'm capable of modifying my style to suit the environment! However, my experience has taught me that a certain amount of "militancy" is often required to apply pressure. Then, careful committee consideration, reaching a consensus on all  views, will achieve the optimum result. I think you'll agree that I have the necessary experience, energy, organisational and inter-personal skills to be a good President of our Association.

As the Asian airline industry enters another growth phase, it is important for our Association to have a clear, long-term strategy. The events of the last 2 years have shown that we still have a long way to go to achieve a mature working environment. For example, we have, like most sophisticated airlines, placed prime importance on Seniority. Yet how is it that our most senior pilots were faced with redundancy instead of the first in–last out principle? This threat to Seniority is applicable to ALL pilots, both today and in the future. The inadequate CoS for pilots who joined since 1993 also needs urgent rectification. To continue in our efforts to secure a binding, meaningful contract for ALL pilots, we must be proactive instead of reactive. That does not necessarily mean confrontation, but it does mean that we cannot expect management to meet our members’ needs without continuous firm persuasion. Leverage can only be applied following strategic thinking and application. That planning and preparation had been a speciality of the now-defunct Industrial Sub-Committee and that is one strategic function that I would re-implement. I aim to improve the strategic planning and implementation of our Committee.

Since I joined the AOA, we have not had an election for President. One school of thought says that we should elect our President internally. I don’t entirely agree with this, particularly if there is more than one suitable and willing candidate. Indeed, the previous DFO maligned our democratic process in failed attempts to show that our Committee was unrepresentative. I feel it would benefit our Association to exercise the democratic process that is an intrinsic element of our constitution. Whether I succeed in my bid for AOA Presidency or not, it will strengthen our Association if it selects the President of its choice.

I believe that it is time for a fresh approach in our politics. That approach will require renewed energy, dedication and application for some years to come. With COSAP 94 and CoS 99 behind us, it is vital that our Association looks to the future. The current embryo boom phase will not last long. Our future will not be secured without hard work, organisation and effort; this is no time for any degree of complacency. Now is the time to re-assess our priorities and to plan for the future. The proposed merging with the DPA, together with the needs of the new CPA freighter pilots, will place increased demands upon Committee resources and will require renewed levels of application. I have the commitment to see the job through in the long-term.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to question me further as to why I am standing for HKAOA President.

Mailbox 674 - election@vortices.com - http://www.vortices.com/nigel - 2328-2546

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