Strengthening AFAP Membership Ahead of Crucial Negotiations
As we head into what will a crucial set of negotiations your Council has received feedback questioning the necessity of AFAP membership in light of the fact that other unions are available for pilots to join.
From the outset it is worth pointing out that when negotiations commence the AFAP NJS Pilot Council will be seeking to liaise and coordinate with the other unions. There is nothing to be gained from each pilot group taking an isolated approach as this will only lead to greater opportunities for Qantas negotiators to play one group of pilots off against another.
That said, the AFAP Pilot Council will of course be set on representing the views of AFAP members and instances may occur that this may differ from the positions of the other pilot groups. For example the last NJS round of negotiations was where the company threatened the loss of the 220’s should the substandard deal not be agreed. The AFAP pilot group was concerned that the implications of endorsing such a substandard deal warranted the proposals not being endorsed. The other unions did not agree with this approach. Consequently the AFAP advocated that the endorsement of such a poor deal was wrong and would lead to long term negativity within the pilot group. Sadly this has been borne out with even now Qantas accepting that the current deal is not fit to either attract or retain pilots in NJS.
One of the main benefits of the AFAP structure is its federalised system of pilot Councils. Each Council within the AFAP effectively decides the position for members within their Council. The NJS Council has elected NJS Pilots who decide (through direct engagement with NJS members) what the position of the AFAP regarding NJS will be. There is no outside input from either the Executive of the AFAP or other Councils into the position of the NJS Council. The NJS Council members will of course still be able to engage with other Councils which is especially useful when establishing industry comparisons during negotiations.
The AFAP employs a proven negotiation model in which pilot representatives, who work under the EA being negotiated, collaborate with experienced union staff. This approach is consistent with models used by USALPA and recommended by IFALPA. It has been demonstrated repeatedly as one of the most effective strategies for achieving the best outcomes for pilots.
A good example of the strengths of a Federalised Structure, is the recent Network dispute over in Perth. The Network AFAP pilots reps were clear that the AFAP membership within Network wanted to take protected industrial action in furtherance of their claim. Consequently the AFAP conducted PIA ballots and action. Other unions in Network would have clearly been facing that same member feedback but decided that they would not take PIA. This imposition of a position from a ‘central executive’ does not occur within the AFAP and is our greatest strength.
Your Network colleagues have done much to signal to Qantas that when they don’t listen to AFAP pilots then real risks remain that AFAP pilots maybe willing to consider using any and all industrial options up to and including PIA. The other unions have historically been reluctant to take this approach which also sends the wrong type of message to Qantas, who will seek to take advantage of this weakness. Your NJS Council does not want to lose this potential leverage during negotiations. While the willingness to take PIA does not guarantee success it certainly minimises the potential to be ridden roughshod over by an employer who has historically shown they will ignore the views of their employees – if they can get away with it!!
The other aspect which impacts the other unions unwillingness to take, or threaten to take, PIA, is that of membership figures. A PIA ballot will reveal the actual number of pilots participating in a ballot (not the names), and was clearly a contributor to why these unions didn’t endorse ballots in Network as it would have revealed very low membership levels.
It is important to also remember that the Qlink organisation is historically one where the AFAP has exceedingly high levels of membership. From the Eastern and Sunstate turboprop operations, to Network Aviation out west, the levels of AFAP membership have hovered around the 90% mark of all pilots for many years. Coupled with this is Qantas’s newly appointed COO of NJS, Nick Collie, having worked for many years with the AFAP whilst he was originally Chief Pilot of Eastern and Sunstate. This high level of AFAP membership also secured significant EA’s for the Eastern and Sunstate members after they took PIA ballots. Those EA’s secured increases of approximately 30% over the life of the agreement.
While the AFAP has good membership within NJS we need it to be better. We need to ensure that we have at our fingertips every available industrial option. It is never too late for this increase to occur and indeed during the Network negotiations membership grew from roughly 60% of the pilot group to 90% of the pilot group. This too sent a clear message to Qantas that the pilot group was angry and willing to push for a better deal. If the same occurs in NJS then at least the Qantas negotiating team will know that the pilot group mean business and that you want a fair deal for flying a new highly flexible and potentially game changing narrow bodied jet.
As was pointed out in our last membership brief the plans of the NJS Council are to ensure that we are ready for the commencement of negotiations with Qantas, which should occur at the end of September 2025. This plan is to include both surveys and member meetings in the establishment of a log of claims that meets the aspirations of the AFAP pilot membership.
To address the points raised in this brief, it is vitally important now for members to engage with their colleagues and encourage membership of the AFAP. We need to send a clear message to NJS and Qantas that the pilot group are keen to see the wrongs of the last EA being rectified.
As always your Council is available for thoughts and feedback:
Anthony Clouting on
clouters@me.com
Eric Galliers on
ericgalliers@hotmail.com
Justin Gordon on
justin.gordon69@gmail.com
Paul Davison on
paul_davison85@hotmail.com