The AFAP Negotiating Team met with Jetstar representatives on Wednesday 6th August and Friday 8th August to continue EA negotiations.
Representing the AFAP were pilot representatives Chris Gibson, Dom Corcoran, Ben Bollen, Paul Hogan and Jake Gainger, supported by Senior Industrial/Legal staff Deanna Cain, Patrick Larkins and Andrew Molnar.
Jetstar was represented by Michael Porch (Senior Manager Flying Operations), Leah Everton (Senior Manager Operational Insights & Strategy), Tim Faulkner (Employee Relations Manager - Flying Operations) and Vera Gorgievski (National Operations Advisor).
Progress on Key AFAP Proposals
Despite previous positive discussions on key AFAP proposals, including Roster Credit Protection (RCP), Open Time, and Lifestyle Purchase/Part-Time (LSP) arrangements, no further progress was made on these items during the most recent meetings.
LSP/Part Time
Jetstar flagged some reservations about the AFAP’s proposed LSP Part-Time model, despite our intention to create a simpler part-time structure that removes the need for pro-rata entitlements, DDOs, and EFA threshold calculations. A key advantage of LSP is its straightforward interaction with annual leave accrual and usage, especially where leave crosses two consecutive roster periods, as it eliminates complex proration.
Jetstar has indicated it will also be exploring a more traditional part-time structure as part of its review. The AFAP remains open to any part-time system that genuinely increases access and availability for pilots. With more than 200 pilots currently on the VFL waitlist, we have been clear; any move away from the existing VFL system will only be acceptable if part-time availability increases to no less than 20%, inclusive of Transition to Retirement arrangements but excluding Carer’s arrangements.
We recognise that some pilots are reluctant to see standby included in part-time arrangements. However, this restriction remains a major barrier to expanding access to VFL/part-time. We are sensitive to the standby concerns, at the same time we need to balance the expectations of the almost 900 pilots we represent, many of whom are seeking part-time arrangements but are unable to access them because of Jetstar’s inflexible 10% cap. As such, we remain open-minded to this inclusion where it delivers broader access and better outcomes for the pilot group as a whole.
We expect Jetstar to table a comprehensive part-time proposal and a definitive position on the 20% floor, at the next meeting.
Open Time
The AFAP’s Open Time proposal remains on the table. As previously outlined, our proposed system is designed to operate independently of the current EFA divisor (75 hours) and is built around the concept of an Open Time Bank (OTB). While Open Time may be more effective at certain bases due to size and operational dynamics, this is an inherent reality of any Open Time or trip swap system and should not be a barrier to agreement, especially given pilots have been promised such a system for over a decade. We would expect bases with more pilots and a higher density of day trips to have a better success rate for open time transfers.
With regard to the EFA threshold it is timely to reiterate that whilst the AFAP supports lowering the EFA threshold, we have not included this as one of our claims and do not consider it an essential element to reaching an agreement with Jetstar.
As previously stated, the AFAP considers EFA as “at risk money”. As it currently stands there are numerous scenarios which a Pilot through no fault of their own will lose EFA accrued which can result in a significant detriment to their monthly pay.
Whilst Roster Credit Protection would alleviate some of these scenarios, it will not cover all of them. Another crucial component is Jetstar have stated they will not be costing any credit associated with Personal Leave. The company has also placed a significant cost per hour on any EFA threshold reduction which makes your bargaining team hesitant to pursue such a claim that would result in reduced gains in other areas.
Our preference is for guaranteed salary increases that cannot be lost due to operational factors (i.e. downturn in flying) or personal leave - an approach mirrored by Qantas and Virgin pilots in their recent EAs, where increases to overtime thresholds/Minimum Guaranteed Hours (MGH) were sought and translated into higher fixed pay. Additionally, in our survey, 75% of members said their priority was to “increase income through a guaranteed salary rather than productivity payments,” so this is where we will focus.
Effective bargaining means putting forward proposals that are realistic, workable, and capable of being accepted. In this regard, the Company has acknowledged the significant work the AFAP has undertaken to propose solutions that meet key objectives, including:
- Implementing a functioning open time system (not just a commitment)
- Increasing part-time availability.
The AFAP will remain focused on presenting solutions that are in the interests of all Jetstar pilots in order to progress bargaining. This means continuing to put forward proposals that deliver meaningful outcomes for pilots, rather than pursuing a populist agenda that gains no traction and fails to address the key objectives of the pilot group.
AFAP Response to Jetstar Claims
Much of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the AFAP’s position in response to Jetstar’s claims. For a summary of those claims, please refer to AFAP Update #9 here.
We note that Jetstar has withdrawn its claim relating to changes to the command suitability selection process.
To date, the only claim the AFAP has outright rejected is Jetstar’s proposal to remove ODTA payments on SHI flights for narrow-body pilots when meals are provided. This proposal is directly contrary to our objective of improving overall remuneration outcomes for pilots.
At this stage, we are awaiting further detail and draft clauses from Jetstar before we can provide a fully considered response to the following claims:
- Ability to demote pilots for performance or standards-related reasons
- Training conducted out of base on days off counting toward the 132-day limit, and capping post-trip time off back in base to 5 days
- Reform of existing consultative committees
- Rewriting Clause 15 of the Roster Protocol for clarity
- Clarification that 48 hours’ notice of a meeting is not required when a pilot is not expected to respond to allegations or concerns
- Clarification that informal performance or disciplinary conversations are not subject to the requirements of Clause 15.4
- Clarification that visa reimbursement applies only to the direct visa cost, not ancillary items such as photos
- Updating Clause 21 to include a requirement for pilots to be contactable while on layover
- Clarification that overpayments are to be recovered from post-tax (net) income
We will continue to engage constructively with Jetstar on these claims as more detail emerges. Any final position will be considered alongside outcomes on AFAP claims and assessed as part of the overall package.
Status of AFAP and Jetstar Standby Claims
Both Jetstar and the AFAP have tabled outstanding claims related to standby (STBY) and RAS. These are summarised in the table below:
At the meeting, the Company presented modelling and data on our lifestyle claims above, seemingly to justify its position in pushing back on these items.
Jetstar has largely rejected the AFAP’s STB claims which restrict its ability to assign a standby duty that displaces a pilot’s existing rostered duty without their agreement. Jetstar is still assessing the operational impact of our proposed restriction on contact for standby duties prior to 0500LT following a DDO.
While Jetstar has acknowledged that a credit for standby and available days is a critical component of a meaningful Roster Credit Protection (RCP) system, which it has expressed interest in developing, it has also flagged the associated costs as a significant challenge.
From the AFAP’s perspective, we have made it unequivocally clear that we cannot consider any of Jetstar’s proposed changes to standby unless credits for STB duties and protections that prevent cascading roster disruptions from STB callout are agreed. The roster disruption caused by STB callouts is a fundamental flaw in the current standby system, undermining roster certainty and rendering a published roster essentially meaningless.
Ongoing discussions around both parties’ standby claims will continue. Rest assured, we are acutely aware of the current shortcomings of Jetstar’s standby system and will not agree to any changes that exacerbate these issues for pilots.
AFAP Lifestyle Claims – Enhanced DDO and Annual Leave Protections
Along with increasing DDOs to be commensurate with Virgin pilots, the AFAP has tabled several claims aimed at improving how DDOs are experienced and utilised by pilots. These include:
- No reduction in time free of duty around days off (delete RP 6.3)
- Standby following DDO(s) – no call prior to 0500 LT (also part of STB discussion as per above)
- No sign-on before 0800 LT following a STR day
- Minimum of 1 weekend off per month (notwithstanding clause 46.7)
- Sign off no later than 2000 prior to annual leave and sign on earlier than 0800 after annual leave (minimum one week of leave)
Jetstar’s position was that agreeing to these claims would negatively impact the rostering system, for example, by increasing single days off, reducing the ability to allocate maximum STB, rostering STB at undesirable times, increasing the frequency of late-night to early-morning duty flips, and creating shorter rest periods between STB and subsequent duties. The narrative was that these protections could lead to poorer rostering outcomes and reduced bid satisfaction for pilots.
The AFAP did not find the data particularly compelling in demonstrating a genuine negative impact on pilot bid satisfaction. While we acknowledge that these changes may create some constraints for Jetstar’s rostering system, this does not mean they should be automatically ruled out. From our perspective, rostering constraints can be addressed if Jetstar is prepared to adequately resource the pilot group, enabling the optimiser to generate desirable outcomes for both parties.
We were disappointed by Jetstar’s resistance to changes that would meaningfully improve pilots’ lifestyle experience. We took the opportunity to highlight some of the significant lifestyle and DDO protections Virgin pilots currently enjoy, protections negotiated by the AFAP over the past decade, that Jetstar pilots do not yet have, including:
- Minimum 36 hours for a single day off, plus an additional 24 hours for each consecutive day off
- No sign-on or standby callout prior to 0500 after a DDO
- No sign-off later than 1800 prior to balloted annual leave, and no sign-on before 0600 after balloted annual leave
- No assignment of a multi-day trip from a single standby unless the pilot agrees
- No assignment of a duty off standby that displaces a subsequent rostered duty unless the pilot agrees
- Minimum 15-hour rest at home base (hard bid option)
It is worth reiterating that Jetstar has not opposed the AFAP’s claim for increased DDOs, and they are aware of the significance of this claim for our members. Costings have been presented, and we have been assured their team is working internally to progress this.
Upcoming Meeting
The next bargaining meeting is scheduled for the week commencing 19 August, where we expect further progress on key AFAP proposals and greater detail on Jetstar’s claims. AFAP’s claims to improve Carer arrangements will also be on the agenda, with subject matter experts Rosie Helbig and Jo Parker in attendance.
Following these discussions, with all AFAP and Jetstar claims tabled and actively discussed, we will have a far clearer picture of the direction of the non-remuneration components. This will help us shape and finalise our strategic base salary proposal, one that reflects member expectations and can be robustly advocated for, without risking dismissal as an ambit claim.
We will continue to keep members updated as progress is made.
If you have any questions, your pilot representatives and AFAP industrial officers Deanna Cain, Pat Larkins or Andrew Molnar are available to assist via jetstar@afap.org.au or call (03) 9928 5737.
Regards,
AFAP Jetstar Negotiating Team
Chris Gibson, Dominic Corcoran, Daniel Blakemore, Ben Bollen, Jake Gainger and Paul Hogan