For anyone that has not yet voted in the current PIA ballot at EFA, please remember to vote before the ballot closes at 4:00pm on Wednesday 25 June 2025.
As previously advised, we suggest that pilots vote “yes” to each of the 11 separate forms of industrial action. By voting “yes” to each form of action, you will be sending a strong message to EFA/Qantas that you are prepared to take those actions in support of an acceptable agreement being put out to vote.
We have also had a couple of EFA pilots join the AFAP after the Balloting Agent required that we provide a list of AFAP members at EFA in accordance with the Orders of the FWC. Unfortunately, these recent AFAP joiners are not eligible to vote in the current PIA ballot, but they will be able to participate and are fully protected in any subsequent PIA that is taken.
As part of the process of conducting a PIA ballot, the FWC schedules a compulsory conciliation conference of all bargaining representatives, including the employer. This conference was held last week at 9:00am on Tuesday 17 June 2025 in Sydney before Commissioner Riordan.
These compulsory conciliation conferences are confidential and “without prejudice”. As a result, we cannot detail what was discussed before Commissioner Riordan. Suffice to say that the compulsory conference was not successful in achieving an agreement or settlement between the parties. Hence the PIA ballot is continuing.
Ahead of the compulsory conciliation conference, we were required to provide an “outline of bargaining to date and the outstanding issues”. We did this immediately ahead of last week’s conciliation, providing a background to bargaining and referencing the EFA offer that was made at our last bargaining meeting on 2 June 2025.
As you may be aware, the company has subsequently advised that it will “roll in the 5% all-purpose allowance into the base” in what is clearly a desperate attempt to make the proposed salary rates look “less inadequate”. Rolling in this allowance does not change the quantum of the offer but simply applies some “window dressing” to the salary tables.
We have requested agreement from EFA to provide you with a copy of the “outline of bargaining to date and the outstanding issues” that we provided the FWC ahead of the compulsory conciliation conference. EFA has agreed to this request on the basis that the comparison table is updated to the subsequent salary rates with the 5% all purpose allowance rate rolled in.
Attached is a copy of the material we provided to the FWC ahead of last week’s conciliation conference but updated for the 5% all purpose allowance being rolled in –
click here.
We will update you again once we receive the PIA ballot result after 4:00pm Wednesday 25 June 2025.
We also have our next bargaining meeting with EFA scheduled for 8 July 2025 in Sydney. Hopefully the result of the PIA ballot will impress upon EFA the need to make a reasonable offer.
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
Susha Semenikow and Dean McMahon
AFAP EFA Pilot Representatives