Hi Lennie,
As you may be aware, the AFAP has initiated a dispute under your enterprise agreement (EA) over changes made by the RFDS Qld to the way your personal leave accrues and is acquitted.
Until November 2024, pilots generally received 10 occasions of personal leave per year. In November 2024, after your EA had been in place for some 5 months, the RFDS Qld unilaterally adopted a new approach that it said was to correct an "historical anomaly". Under the new approach adopted by the RFDS, personal leave is now deducted in accordance with the length of each shift. As a result, pilots working 12-hour shifts could receive as few as seven occasions of personal leave per year, a significant reduction in available occasions of personal leave.
Although the AFAP understands the reasons put forward by the RFDS Qld for making this change, we maintain that it is not the entitlement that was put out to vote. The entitlement that was put out to vote was that a pilot was entitled to 10 ocasions of personal leave each year, regardless of shift length. If the RFD Qld had wished to alter that entitlement, it should have done so as part of the bargaining process for your EA, and not utilaterally imposing it at a later date after you had voted on your EA.
A copy of the AFAP's application initiating the dispute can be located [
HERE]. A copy of the RFDS Qld's response can be located [
HERE].
Conference Before the Fair Work Commission
Yesterday, on 22 May 2025, the parties attended a conference before Commissioner Durham of the Fair Work Commission. Representing AFAP were Andrew Molnar (AFAP Legal Counsel) together with pilot representatives James Bate and Hayden Watson. Representing the RFDS Qld were Judy Hawkins (RFDS), Cheryl-Anne Laird and Ms Eve Harward (both of Forvis Mazars).
The conference lasted approximately two hours. Although the parties were unable to resolve the dispute during the conference, productive discussions were held. Importantly, the RFDS Qld has agreed to enter into further discussions about reverting to the previous method of treating personal leave (that is, 10 occasions each year).
Should these discussions be successful, the dispute may be resolved for the life of the current EA, which expires in mid-2027. Of course, the issue is likely to resurface during the next round of bargaining for a replacement agreement. This would be the appropriate time for changes to entitlements to be discussed as part of bargaining and, if agreed, made and put out to the pilots to vote upon.
Next Steps
If the parties cannot resolve the dispute, and agreement is not reached, the matter may proceed to arbitration before Commissioner Durham. The parties are required to report back to Commissioner Durham on 5 June 2025.
We will continue to keep members informed as developments occur. If you have any questions about this dispute, or wish to provide any information, please contact Andrew Molnar (
andrew@afap.org.au) by email or by calling (03) 9928 5737. Alternatively, please contact your Pilot Representatives James Bate and Hayden Watson.
Your AFAP Industrial Team