Overpaid bus drivers?

The perception and reality of an airline pilot

In the midst of the 1989 ‘Pilot’s Dispute’, the Prime Minister of the day publically labelled pilots as “overpaid bus drivers” and it was a perception that rapidly spread across the broader public spectrum. Firstly, this was an unwarranted broadside at bus drivers. 

Also, what Bob Hawke didn’t realise was that such perceptions had been simmering for a number of years. “15 hours a week and more pay than the Prime Minister” I recall some newspapers saying.

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