As you will by now be well aware, as of late evening on Tuesday 30 July, Regional Express Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries have entered Voluntary Administration. This has come alongside announcements that all 737 flights operated by Rex Airlines Pty Ltd have been cancelled indefinitely, but that Saab operations will continue unaffected.
The Administrators have advised unions representing Rex employees that they expect these changes to be made permanent, with resulting redundancies of all RAL (737 operation) employees, and a number of Rex employees (presumably those whose positions are directly associated with the 737 operation).
Rex have also invited employees to attend “town hall” meetings this morning. At time of writing, these meetings had not taken place, so it is not known what additional information may be provided.
Until late Tuesday evening, there had been no communication from Rex management to Rex employees, and in the meantime we were all too aware of media reports and speculation regarding significant problems at Rex. The combination of extensive media coverage and silence from company management has put all Rex employees in a very difficult situation over recent days.
Our major concern is the wellbeing of our members. At such times, we remind all members of the support available through your council representatives – especially your welfare representatives, who are in turn backed by the resources of the AFAP’s welfare department. We particularly direct members’ attention to the AFAP’s Member Assistance Program, which provides free and confidential counselling to members and their families. This service is available 24/7, and counselling sessions can be conducted by phone, videoconference or in person. Your representatives can personally attest to the quality of the Program, and encourage any member to make use of these services if you feel the need to do so.
In seeking support and connection during traumatic events, it is natural for some people to turn to social media. These services offer a kind of connection, but everything posted to any form of social media must be considered potentially public, even if the audience is confined to “friends”. We remind members to be cautious of sharing anything regarding Rex’s difficulties in such settings, as the Rex Group has a stringent social media policy, and has on occasion been known to pursue disciplinary action against employees for breaches of that policy. Likewise, any employee approached by journalists should refrain from making any comment.
Over the coming days, AFAP representatives will be actively engaging with Rex’s administrator, working towards the best possible outcomes for our members. On behalf of RAL pilots, this will likely include discussing opportunities for redeployment elsewhere within the Rex Group, and of course ensuring that all entitlements are paid in the event of redundancy. We are also aware that some RAL pilots will not be interested in opportunities within the remaining Rex Group operators, and your council representatives are already in active discussions with other councils of the AFAP regarding potential opportunities at other domestic jet operators.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your AFAP representatives – and please remember that the Member Assistance Program is available at any time by phoning
1300 307 912.
Your AFAP Rex Council
Robin Darroch (Chair) – 0421 503 966,
robin@darroch.id.au
Jai White (Vice-chair, Welfare representative) – 0475 943 322,
jaiwhite@live.com.au
Haydn Burgoyne (Secretary) – 0421 395 366,
haydn@jboer.com.au
Simon Bourchier (Committee member) – 0409 282 116,
simon.bourchier@gmail.com
Jordan Fitzgerald (Committee member) – 0419 169 299,
vts210@hotmail.com
Matt Sheehy (Committee member) – 0409 747 710,
matthewsheehy3@gmail.com