Latest Bargaining Developments
Since the AFAP's Update yesterday (9/12), there have been significant developments in the negotiations for the three new enterprise agreements (EA), covering AFAP members employed by the Alliance Group.
Queensland PIA Ballot
The PIA ballot in Queensland closed earlier this afternoon.
The results were overwhelming, on two counts:
- Over 96% of AFAP Members in Queensland voted in the ballot; and,
- All 11 proposed types of PIA were heavily supported!
The highest level of support for any of the actions was 92.67%. The lowest was 86% - for just one particular action. However, even so, that means that 86% of all voters supported that action, and only 14% didn't.
As we said, an overwhelming result!
National EA
Alliance Group management wrote yesterday to the AFAP (and TWU), stating that they reject the preference of both the AFAP and TWU, to have a single enterprise agreement covering all their Pilots in Australia.
Obviously their opposition to the proposal came as no great surprise! Their 'divide and conquer' campaign, which they have utilised for many years now, is still something that they see value in.
However, in the conciliation conference before Fair Work Deputy President Lake concerning the Queensland EA, scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday 10/12) and Thursday (11/12), the AFAP intends to raise the issue again. Put simply, it is not an issue that should actually be let go of, just because Alliance Group management does not like it. Their decision adversely affects each and every AFAP member, and the type of conditions that you all end up having to work under.
Notification of a Major Change
This afternoon, the AFAP understands that Pilots based in Adelaide, and in Perth, received a letter from Alliance Group management. The letter to Adelaide based Pilots, for example, stated that the Alliance Group had
"... undertaken a review and identified that there is a surplus of Pilots at the Adelaide Base when compared to the amount and/ or distribution of flying across the week that is currently and forecast to be performed.
With the identified change in flying for the Adelaide base continuing into the first quarter of 2025 the Company is required to consider what measures are necessary to manage the financial impact of this situation.
...
The Company has identified that there is a high likelihood of redundancies as there are no other suitable alternative positions in Adelaide. For those effected, the Company is open to considering other bases, such as Darwin, if a Pilot is willing to relocate on voluntary basis.
The letter to Perth based Pilots was essentially in the same terms.
At this early point, all the AFAP has to say about these announcements is that, on behalf of AFAP members, we will be looking into the facts of these claims very closely.
Queensland EA - New Company Offer
South Australia EA - New Company Offer
Late yesterday afternoon, the AFAP (and TWU) received the exact same updated offer for the South Australian EA, as we had for the Queensland EA a few hours earlier.
In that offer, the Alliance Group emphatically rejected a (single) National EA, but offered:
- Revised salary levels:
Employment Tenure Captain FO
0 - 2 years $ 212,000 $ 145,000
2 - 5 years $ 217,000 $ 148,650
5 Years + $ 222,000 $ 151,800
- Increase in RDOs and Grey Days as follows:
8 RDOs + 2 Grey Days - at commencement of EA
9 RDOs + 1 Grey Day - 12 months after EA commencement
- Payment of RPT Bonus (to Bravo Pilots)
From 4/11/2024 to the commencement date of the EA, if the EA gets a majority vote when put out
to ballot.
FWC Conciliation Conferences
In coming days, FWC Deputy President Lake will be conducting the conciliation conferences he suggested all parties attend, when he spoke to us in the original conciliation conferences, held last week (on Monday 2/12 and Wednesday 4/12).
At this point, the schedule for the conduct of these further conciliation conferences (held in accordance with section 240 of the Fair Work Act 2009), is:
- tomorrow afternoon (11/12) and all day Thursday (12/12) - Queensland EA negotiations; and,
- all day Friday (13/12) - South Australia EA negotiations.
Your AFAP representatives will release further updates on the developments in the EA negotiations over the next few days.
In the interim, if you have any questions, please contact one of your Pilot Representatives involved in negotiations in your specific State, or alternatively contact AFAP Senior Industrial Officer James Mattner (james@afap.org.au).