EFA Update and Survey Link
On Thursday last week your EFA pilot reps met again to discuss various matters.
Following this meeting the AFAP wrote to the company seeking confirmation of a number of ongoing problems or issues at EFA regarding:
AX Days
There has been reports of pilots calling during the defined windows on the day before an AX day and despite no duty being allocated being told that they cannot clear the AX and/or to call back later.
We have asked for confirmation that once a pilot calls during the specified window on the day before an AX that if a duty is not assigned then the AX will be immediately cleared.
Requested Days Off
There have been multiple reports of pilots using the roster request form to request specific days in a upcoming bid period, to then be approved, but to subsequently have that requested day taken off them just outside the 48 hour window.
Example – Pilot X requests a Saturday and Sunday off to attend a concert interstate. The request is put in 4 weeks prior to the bid period and is subsequently awarded. The roster is then published and the days off requested are on the roster. 3 days before Pilot X is due to have their days off crewing decide to use them on the Saturday for a sim support.
We have asked for confirmation that once Requested Days Off are granted and rostered that they will not be removed unless agreed with the pilot.
Short Periods of Annual Leave
Currently any EFA pilot wishing to take annual leave must do so in blocks of a minimum of one week (Monday to Sunday). This minimum allocation of annual leave is not specified in the EA and appears inconsistent with the NES.
We have requested confirmation that pilots may request and the company will genuinely consider and grant, where it is able, requests for periods of annual leave of less than a 1 week block.
Enterprise Agreement
The other major area of discussion was the current EFA EA which expires on 31 December 2024.
As previously advised, since 1 July 2024 the salary rates in the EFA EA have fallen below the salaries payable under the Air Pilots Award 2020 (the Award).
Despite multiple requests to do so the company is resisting commencing bargaining before the nominal expiry date of 31 December 2024.
Given our experience in the last round of bargaining, we are not prepared to allow bargaining to drag on and again have the threat of the removal of backpay used against us.
With this in mind, we are doing a short one question survey of EFA pilots as follows:
If Express Freighters Australia (EFA) does not commence bargaining in good faith prior to the nominal expiry of the Express Freighters Australia Operations Pty Ltd Enterprise Agreement 2021 (2021 EFA Agreement) on 31 December 2024 then I would like the AFAP to make application as soon as possible after the nominal expiry date to:
- Commence a Protected Industrial Action (PIA) ballot in accordance with the Fair Work Act; or
- Terminate the 2021 EFA Agreement in accordance with the Fair Work Act; or
- Both 1 and 2; or
- Other (Please specify)
The survey link is:
https://afap.questionpro.com/ExpressFreightersAustralia
The survey is anonymous and please only complete it once.
We will advise you of the survey result and the company’s response to the issues we have raised in our next update.
Next week a couple of us are also meeting with AFAP legal staff to explore the prospects of contesting whether RDOs can be pro-rated over periods of leave and whether paying a salary below the Award constitutes a breach of s206 of the Fair Work Act. We also have another pilot rep meeting scheduled for early next month.
If you have any questions on the above please contact us directly or Simon Lutton at the AFAP on (03) 9928 5737 or email simon@afap.org.au.
Yours sincerely
Liam Bottomley, Susha Semenikow and Dean McMahon
AFAP EFA Pilot Representatives