QPC Briefing No. 30 2026
EA11 Negotiations Update - Revised Company Package
As outlined in our previous briefing, Qantas last week presented what it described as a revised position for the Long Haul Enterprise Agreement. Yesterday, the Company provided the AFAP with the proposed pay tables, which are fundamental to assessing the value and merits of the overall package.
The AFAP has now completed an initial assessment of the proposal. While Qantas has moderated some of the reforms it was previously seeking, our preliminary view is that the package, as it currently stands, represents a disappointing and materially worse remuneration outcome for pilots.
On its face, the pay outcomes contained in the revised offer appear to be inferior to those contained in the EA11 proposal that pilots rejected by 66.4%, even after taking into account the additional uplift Qantas has assumed for its proposed blank line payments. The revised proposal also contains a number of additional concessions affecting work practices and long-standing conditions.
This is particularly disappointing given the clear feedback pilots provided following the failed vote and through the subsequent survey process. That feedback was unambiguous. Pilots considered that the level of pay being offered did not justify the scale of the concessions being sought.
To address that concern, Qantas needed either to materially improve the remuneration on offer or substantially reduce the concessions being pursued. On our initial assessment, the revised proposal appears to do neither. While some concessions have been scaled back, others have been added, and the overall remuneration outcome appears to have reduced. That is a difficult proposition for the AFAP to take back to pilots.
Today, the AFAP met with Qantas to continue discussions on the revised proposal. Qantas explained the proposed pay tables and the assumptions underpinning its assessment of the overall remuneration outcome for pilots. The AFAP also provided broad feedback on a number of new concessions and other aspects of the package that we consider problematic in terms of reaching an in-principle agreement.
We made clear to Qantas that, as it currently stands, the proposal appears to represent a materially worse remuneration outcome than the package pilots have already rejected. We also made clear that we do not believe the revised proposal will be well received by pilots.
The AFAP will now provide Qantas with a comprehensive written response, following further critical analysis of the proposed package and the associated pay tables. That response will be provided prior to our next meeting and will address the key concerns consistently identified by pilots through the survey process and direct member engagement following the failed vote.
Those concerns include, firstly, the need for meaningful reform to blank lines. In our view, the current proposal does not adequately address the frequency of blank line rotation (despite the AFAP proposing a range of practical options) or the associated work-life balance concerns identified by pilots. Further, the financial recognition proposed by Qantas for blank line payments appears to have been drawn from the overall uplift on offer, rather than being an additional benefit, and will not benefit all pilots equally. Unless the underlying issue of BLH rotation frequency is addressed, it is difficult to see how this will achieve broad pilot support.
Secondly, pilots have made clear that the remuneration being offered must properly reflect the concessions being sought. The revised proposal does not appear to achieve that balance.
Adding to our concern is that the financial outcome now proposed appears to sit only marginally above the baseline outcome pilots could reasonably expect through a process of industrial escalation. Such an outcome may be achievable without Qantas securing many, if any, of the significant reforms it has consistently stated are central to its bargaining objectives.
In that context, the Company’s proposal is difficult to understand. It asks pilots to accept meaningful concessions while offering only a marginal improvement over an outcome that may be achievable without those concessions.
Overall, it appears evident that Qantas has not properly taken on board the message pilots delivered through the rejection of EA11. As clearly demonstrated in the survey results, pilots did not reject the previous proposal simply because too many reforms were sought. They rejected it because the overall balance between change and reward was fundamentally misaligned. Offering fewer reforms while delivering an even weaker remuneration outcome moves further away from addressing the concerns pilots have clearly expressed.
The AFAP remains committed to negotiating constructively and in good faith. Our objective has not changed: to secure an agreement that appropriately rewards pilots for any changes sought, addresses the priorities identified by members, and provides a genuine basis upon which pilots can confidently support a new Enterprise Agreement.
We will continue engaging with Qantas over the coming weeks, including identifying practical pathways to an agreement capable of securing pilot support, and will keep members informed as discussions progress.
Questions and Feedback
If you have any questions or further feedback, please contact your AFAP Qantas Pilot Council representatives at
qpc@afap.org.au, or the AFAP Legal and Industrial team:
Executive Director Simon Lutton –
simon@afap.org.au
Senior Legal/Industrial Officer Patrick Larkins –
patrick@afap.org.au
Senior Legal/Industrial Officer Deanna Cain –
deanna@afap.org.au
Regards,
AFAP Qantas Pilot Council
Michael Egan – Chair
Mark Gilmour – Vice-Chair
Rob Close – Secretary
Michael Armessen – Committee Member
David LaPorte – Committee Member
Josh Chalmers – Committee Member
Rob Gilmour – Committee Member