HIGH RES IMAGE: Chris Aikens at Perth Airport's domestic terminal on 15 Feb 2024.
20 Feb 2023 (Perth): AFAP members participated in a survey over the past week to help assess the confidence (or otherwise) that these pilots have in the local management at Network Aviation.
Three quarters of AFAP’s members participated and two results were especially concerning.
- Almost 85% of respondents did not agree that Network management "actively and adequately address FRMS issues”
- More than 75% of respondents did not have confidence in the Chief Pilot.
A fatigue risk management system (FRMS) is a comprehensive strategy that airlines use to reduce the risk of flight accidents due to pilot fatigue.
The AFAP will also distribute these results to the relevant Qantas managers who oversee safety and risk management for the company and to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
According to AFAP Senior Industrial Officer Chris Aikens, the survey results reinforce why pilots were unwilling to attend yesterday afternoon’s Town Hall headed up by the local management in whom they have no confidence.
“The company’s 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,” said Mr Aikens.
“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.”
The AFAP has now notified the company of further rolling work stoppages to immediately follow the 24-hour stop work taking place on Thursday 22 February.
Background: Fatigue management involves operators and pilots taking steps to manage increasing levels of fatigue, so it doesn't result in a safety risk (CASA, 11 July 2023)
Fatigue management explained
Protected Industrial Action: AFAP members at Network Aviation has advised the company of further protected industrial action (PIA) in the form of four days of work stoppages from Thursday 22 February to Sunday 25 February (inclusive).
More than 99.5 per cent of the AFAP’s members at fully-owned Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation voted to approve the taking of a range of legally protected industrial action in September 2023.
PIA action number 25 (“An unlimited number of single or consecutive 24-hour stoppages of all work”) was approved by the Fair Work Commission (FWC).
Pay and conditions sought: The 25 per cent pay increase cited as being on offer would simply serve to bring the lowest-paid pilots in this group up to the rates in the Air Pilots Award which the FWC considers to be the bare legal minimum.
The seven terms and conditions that the pilots have consistently and repeatedly put to the company include:
- Two-hour (not 90 minutes) sign-on from reserve, as is common in the industry and in compliance with the Air Pilots Award 2020
- 6:00am (not 4:00am) start after a day off as for pilots at other Qantas/QantasLink operations and in compliance with the Air Pilots Award 2020
- Duty travel in a Business class seat (where available) to improve the opportunity for rest and Fatigue Management
- Same Duty Hours Allowance as for pilots at other Qantas/QantasLink operations
- Overtime increased using the same formula as for pilots at other Qantas/QantasLink operations
- Ten Rostered Days Off as for pilots at other Qantas/QantasLink operations
- Revised rostering appendix providing better rostering rules
About AFAP: The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) represents more than 90 per cent of the commercial pilots employed by Qantas Group subsidiary Network Aviation to fly both passenger transport (QantasLink), and fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and private charter aircraft (Network Aviation) in Western Australia.
This pilot group is negotiating a new enterprise agreement to replace the Network Aviation Pilots Enterprise Agreement 2016 (that expired 31 Oct 2020).
With more than 5500 members, the AFAP is the professional association and industrial organisation for commercial pilots in Australia flying domestically and internationally.
AFAP Media Contact: anna@afap.org.au / 0400 988 722
Images: Available at www.afap.org.au/media-releases