The majority of Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) members who participated in a survey assessing the confidence pilots have in the local management at Network Aviation have expressed little faith.
Almost 85% of respondents did not agree that Network Aviation management “actively and adequately address FRMS (fatigue risk management system) issues”.
More than 75% of respondents did not have confidence in the Chief Pilot.
Ongoing industrial action within Western Australia’s aviation sector is anticipated to continue over the coming weekend from 22 February to 25 February as these survey results come to light.
According to the AFAP – the organisation overseeing the ongoing industrial action for pilots operating within Qantas (ASX:QAN) subsidiary Network Aviation — the results reinforce why pilots were unwilling to attend Monday’s (19 February 2024) Town Hall meeting headed up by local management, in whom they have no confidence.
AFAP is expected to distribute the aforementioned results to relevant Qantas managers who oversee safety and risk management for the company and to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
AFAP Senior Industrial Officer Chris Aikens says the town hall meeting was poorly attended with less than a dozen of the more than 250 pilots choosing to accept the Chief Pilot’s invitation to attend.
“The pilots at Network remain united and connected in their common pursuit of fair and equitable pay and conditions in line with those enjoyed by other Qantas Group pilots.
Last Friday (16 February) more than half of the total pilot workforce attended an AFAP-run meeting and agreed to the continuation of rolling work stoppages.
Qantas can readily resolve this by recognising that Network pilots are only seeking to achieve terms and conditions of employment that are commonplace amongst the Qantas pilots and the airline industry overall.”
Earlier this month, the AFAP outlined the 7 terms and conditions that the pilots have consistently and repeatedly put to the company, as reported by Mining.com.au.
Terms and conditions include a 2-hour (not 90 minute) sign-on form reserve, as well as a 6am (not 4am) start after a day off as for pilots at other Qantas/QantasLink operations.
Other terms include duty travel in a business class seat (where available) to improve the opportunity for rest and fatigue management, same duty hours allowance as for other Qantas/QantasLink operations, increased overtime, 10 rostered days off, and a revised rostering appendix.
Despite being offered a 25% pay increase, the AFAP cited this as being an offer that would simply serve to bring the lowest-paid pilots in the group up to the rates in the Air Pilots Award, which the Fair Work Commission considers to be the bare legal minimum.
Qantas announced today (21 February 2024) 2 new board members have been appointed, including a new Chairman, as part of its ongoing renewal. John Mullen will join the Qantas from 1 July 2024 as Non-Executive Director and Chairman Elect, and will assume the role of Chairman ahead of the company’s AGM this October.
Nora Scheinkestel will also join from 1 March 2024 as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee. Both Mullen and Scheinkestel’s positions will be put to shareholders at the AGM. These new appointments follow the retirement of long-serving directors Maxine Brenner and Jacqueline Hey.
Departing Chairman Richard Goyder says the selection of a new chair reflects a new chapter for Qantas.
The AFAP represents more than 90% of the commercial pilots employed by Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation to fly both passenger transport (QantasLink), and fly in, fly out (FIFO) and private charter aircraft (Network Aviation) in Western Australia.
The pilot group is negotiating a new enterprise agreement to replace the Network Aviation Pilots Enterprise Agreement 2016 that expired on 31 October 2020.
With more than 5,500 members, the AFAP is the professional association and industrial organisation for commercial pilots in Australia flying domestically and internationally.
Write to Adam Drought at Mining.com.au
Images: Qantas & AFAP
