Updated 13 March 2024: In the ballot closing late yesterday afternoon, 77% of all pilots flying for Network Aviation and QantasLink in Western Australia emphatically voted down the company’s re-tabled offer (i.e. exactly the same agreement voted down in January with a 57% no vote).
Following a meeting on Friday 8 March of Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) members (95 per cent of the pilot group), the AFAP negotiating team notified Qantas management that two further days of stop work action are to take place on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 March.
These two days of protected industrial action (PIA) will coincide with the hearing dates scheduled at the Fair Work Commission to determine whether bargaining has become intractable (or not).
A pilot support fund has received contributions from AFAP members and others across the country to support fellow pilots in need during this period of ongoing PIA: Many of the pilots have fallen below the Air Pilots Award.
The 25 per cent pay increase cited as being on offer would simply serve to bring the lowest-paid pilots in this group up to the rates in the Air Pilots Award which the FWC considers to be the bare legal minimum.
About AFAP: The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) represents 95 per cent of the commercial pilots employed by Qantas Group subsidiary Network Aviation to fly both passenger transport (QantasLink), and fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and private charter aircraft (Network Aviation) in Western Australia.
This pilot group is negotiating a new enterprise agreement to replace the Network Aviation Pilots Enterprise Agreement 2016 (that expired 31 Oct 2020).
With more than 5500 members, the AFAP is the professional association and industrial organisation for commercial pilots in Australia flying domestically and internationally.
Media contact: anna@afap.org.au 0400 9888 722