Airnorth - Individual Flexibility Agreements being offered
The AFAP understands that Airnorth has today offered individual flexibility agreements (IFAs) to pilots, seemingly to mitigate the effects of your zombie agreement terminating tomorrow.
It is unfortunate that, although Airnorth has been on notice of your zombie agreement terminating tomorrow for well over 6 months, it is only now formally offering pilots IFAs and informing them of the proposed content of these IFAs. It is not fair to pace pilots under pressure to make a decision quickly on arrangements that will take effect tomorrow.
This IFA is an important document - it has the effect of displacing certain entitlements and rights you have under the Air Pilots Award 2020. This IFA needs to be considered carefully.
The AFAP will tonight review the contents of the IFAs and will provide an update on our views on them.
What is clear right now is that there is a lack of information on what a pilot will be paid if they do choose not to enter into the IFA and why this has been so rushed a process.
Questions that Airnorth should answer include:
1 – what will a pilot be paid and what rostering arrangements will they work under if they do not agree to the IFA? This needs to be spelt out clearly.
2 – how does Airnorth propose to deal with the effect of some pilots agreeing to the IFA and some pilots not – ie. will there be 2 sets of rostering arrangements that apply to the 2 groups of pilots? Airnorth should be prepared for that event.
These are important considerations each pilot should consider before deciding to agree to an IFA. Remember, an IFA is individual to each single pilot. Just because someone does or does not agree to the IFA does not mean you have to do the same.
You need to ensure Airnorth answers any questions you have so you can make an informed decision. The AFAP can ask these questions for you if prefer.
If you do wish to agree to the IFA (or have already done so) and later change your mind, you can terminate it under the terms of the IFA at any time on 4 weeks’ notice.
Look out for our AFAP update on the IFAs with more details tomorrow.
If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Molnar (Legal Counsel) or Jason Newell (Industrial Officer) at the AFAP on
andrew@afap.org.au or
jason@afap.org.au (03) 9928 5737.
If you are contacted and made to feel pressured to sign the IFA, please inform the AFAP immediately. You are under no obligation to sign the IFA, particularly in circumstances where they have been offered at the very last minute. That is an Airnorth constraint, not yours.
Please email us with any questions you wish to have answered by Airnorth if you do not wish to ask directly yourself.
Your AFAP Industrial Team.