AFAP Update - Bonza Members
Information Update
Representatives from the AFAP, along with those from the Flight Attendant Association of Australia, met for the first time earlier today (by video-link) with representatives from Bonza's Administrators (Hall Chadwick) and from Bonza.
In that meeting the Hall Chadwick representatives confirmed that:
- they had already conducted two meetings with Bonza employees this week (Tuesday and Thursday evenings);
- a large percentage of Bonza employees had participated in those meetings;
- they had emailed a variety of documents to all employees since, to assist employees better understand the situation you currently find yourself in;
- they have no firm plans at present for any additional employee meetings until there are significant developments in relation to Bonza and its operation;
- in the meantime, if any employee had any questions, they could contact Hall Chadwick by phone (03/8678 1699) or by email (bonzaemployees@hallchadwick.com.au);
- at this point, they are not able to pay employees their salary/wages or expense claims for the past month;
- they had also issued a 3-page document (titled 'Notice to Employees') to 302 Bonza employees yesterday, which stated (in part) that you and the other 301 employees had been 'stood down';
- they confirmed that for any period that an employee is 'stood down', they are not entitled to any payment of salary or wages from Bonza;
- your 'stand down' period (at this point) is only meant to last up to and including 7 May 2024;
- there had possibly been confusion re their comments made in one of the employee meetings that any current Bonza employee who started employment with a different employer may end up losing some of their entitlements that would otherwise potentially be payable to them by Bonza. Instead they stated that they should have said that an employee who subsequently made a claim under the Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) scheme in such circumstances, may not be entitled to as much financial assistance under that scheme as they would otherwise have been entitled to.
Separate to those issues, the FAAA and AFAP representatives raised a number of other issues with the Hall Chadwick representatives, including that:
- clarification was needed on what exact legal basis you and the other 301 employees had been 'stood down' under (noting that although the Fair Work Act 2009 does provide, in certain circumstances. for an employer to 'stand down' employees without pay), we wanted to ensure that the provisions of the Act were being properly adhered to;
- the AFAP and the FAAA would both expect to have their staff invited to attend/participate in any future meetings that Hall Chadwick held with Bonza employees (so that there was transparency about the information that is being supplied to employees, and as such help reduce the chances of potential misunderstandings);
- that any Notice re 'stand down' of employees needed to be addressed to individual employees, rather than to the full group of employees, because for instance we understood that Centrelink would not proceed with claims for financial assistance from Bonza employees, without a formal letter addressed to the individual concerned;
- that the re-issued (personalised) letter needed to be produced ASAP, in order to support claims already made by some employees for financial assistance from Centrelink;
- it was unclear how individual Pilots, if a decision was subsequently made sometime in the near future to 'wind up' Bonza, could then find themselves being 'chased' for outstanding training bond amounts (given the wording of the Award indicated that no such action was possible).
In response to several of those matters, the Hall Chadwick representatives indicated that they would need to go away and seek relevant advice.
What Next?
The first advice the AFAP has to members is to take the time to carefully read the information sheets that both the AFAP and Hall Chadwick have provided you access to, in the past couple of days. They will provide you a detailed outline of the situation you currently find yourself in.
Secondly, all members need to understand that Hall Chadwick's first priority in the current situation is to revive Bonza, & have it emerge from 'Administration'. It is only if no viable opportunity is identified by Hall Chadwick in order to achieve that outcome, that they must then move to permanently close Bonza.
Thirdly, we again stress to you and all members that, if required, you can access the AFAP's Member Assistance Program (MAP).
The MAP is a short-term 24/7 counselling and advisory service, where professional assistance from psychologists trained in pilot-specific issues is available. The service is confidential, and your personal information will not be discussed with anyone, including the AFAP.
The contact number for MAP - 1300 307 912.
Finally, if any member wants to speak to the AFAP, please contact either: