Placing Qantas pilots in Western Australia have accused the corporate’s administration of spreading misinformation, with Australian Federation of Airline Pilots (AFAP) members right now contemplating additional industrial motion on prime of the six-day strike that’s set to finish at midnight on Tuesday.
The strike is now affecting east coast schedules and Qantas B737 crewing, pilots informed Crikey. They stated it’s also “driving an even bigger wedge” between administration and pilots as some pilots on the east coast are successfully being compelled to attempt to assist break the strike (Qantas has moved not less than three B737s and several other B717s to Perth) or danger their jobs or seniority underneath bargaining agreements.
The strike is now within the fingers of the Truthful Work Fee (FWC) after Qantas utilized for a willpower of intractable bargaining (IB) after negotiations between the 2 sides ended late final yr. An preliminary willpower on IB, a brand new course of, is probably not given till not less than subsequent month, a interval during which strike motion might proceed. Following a willpower of IB there could be an arbitration course of by the FWC of as much as 12 months — throughout which no industrial motion will be taken — and on the finish of this the FWC would make a willpower on the enterprise bargaining settlement.
Whereas AFAP stated Qantas “took all the things off the desk” and walked away from negotiations, Qantas disagreed.
QantasLink’s newly appointed CEO Rachel Yangoyan stated in an e-mail, seen by Crikey, to pilots on Tuesday:
AFAP’s suggestion that we walked away from the negotiating desk isn’t cheap given we’ve reached in precept settlement with them on the final two agreements. Sadly, the unions are actually in search of further objects on prime of our revised supply voted down final yr. These are advantages that may add additional value to the settlement, one thing we can’t comply with.
Pilots and union reps have made it clear that any prolonged course of with the FWC would possible see scores of them depart the corporate if a brand new deal didn’t eventuate quickly, as there are significantly better presents from American, Center Japanese and Asian airways available in the market. That is based mostly on a present of fingers finally week’s AFAP members assembly attended by greater than 100 individuals. Pilots estimate about 80% stated they’d look elsewhere.
Qantas pilots working out of Perth run each fly-in-fly-out operations for mining corporations in addition to passenger providers across the state and into the Northern Territory (although the intention is to develop interstate providers).
AFAP consultant Chris Aikens stated that claims by administration that pilots solely labored three days every week had been unfaithful.
“Whereas it was true that Tuesday-Thursday was the busiest a part of the week attributable to mining rosters, Community Aviation (NA) and QantasLink in Western Australia is a seven-day-a-week operation,” Aikens informed Crikey. “Underneath present rosters, pilots can be found 5 to 6 days every week. If Qantas don’t suppose that the pilots are flying sufficient hours that’s the airline’s downside, not the pilots’.”
NA chief working officer Trevor Worgan claimed there was a “disconnection between the union and its members”, which Aikens additionally dismissed.
Pilots have been inundated with messages from senior members of Qantas administration together with Worgan, Yangoyan and NA chief pilot Evan Bartlett (who’s prone to be the topic of a no-confidence vote subsequent week).
Aikens stated the dispute has seen some pilots on Qantas’ “mainline” red-tail jets transfer from the first mainline union, the Australian and Worldwide Pilots Associations (which is mainly an arm of the corporate), to AFAP, as Qantas started negotiations for each short- and long-haul pilots.
Within the be aware to pilots on Tuesday, seen by Crikey, Yangoyan stated she could be in Perth from Wednesday evening and obtainable to satisfy. However Aikens stated he had not heard from her.
One pilot famous that Barlett didn’t have a present pilot’s licence so may not totally comprehend the situations on the bottom, together with “mouldy catering, lack of pushback automobiles and harmful climate situations unsuitable for cadet pilots”.
The strike has additionally raised points over how the airline offers with the psychological well being of its crews, one thing that can also be a problem across the globe.
“An terrible lot of pilots are struggling within the psychological well being space,” one NA pilot informed Crikey. This was confirmed by different pilots within the Qantas group.
“Qantas has no regard for the psychological well being or the welfare of the pilot group,” the pilot stated.
“We haven’t had a pay rise for nearly 5 years and no-one takes the choice [lightly] to take every week off with no pay to strike [and] this implies many can’t pay their mortgages.”
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson has beforehand stated she is attempting to enhance the “fractured relationship” with unions, bringing the corporate’s industrial relations underneath its revamped human sources division — headed by “chief individuals officer” Catherine Walsh. However insiders consider Hudson doesn’t wish to be seen as too acquiescent to industrial motion. To this finish, she has additionally dispatched Qantas IR chief Nathan Protected, a former union boss. Crikey requested Qantas about Hudson’s lack of visibility however the airline didn’t get again in time for publication.
One pilot stated Hudson must be “entrance and centre” as tensions proceed to rise.
“It’s affecting her entire enterprise and she or he is nowhere to be seen,” he stated.
Will you fly with Qantas whereas WA pilots are placing? Tell us your ideas by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please embrace your full title to be thought of for publication. We reserve the best to edit for size and readability.
