Qantas

Further to the update sent on Saturday, we are very pleased to confirm that last week we managed to achieve in principle agreement for a replacement Enterprise Agreement (EA) covering pilots at Sunstate Airlines.

There is still some work to do in finalising the drafting however the major issues have been agreed.

We do however realise that you will be keen to at least know an outline of the proposed agreement, so we are providing a summary of the key in principle agreement changes/elements below. The full details will be provided soon and well before a vote.

Improvements/Changes:

• A 4-year agreement expiring 31 December 2026.
• 3% salary and applicable allowance increases per annum effective 1 January 2023 (backdated), 1 January 2024, 1 January 2025 and 1 January 2026.
• 5% increase to all classifications (on top of the 3%) in the main salary structure from commencement of the agreement (i.e. 7 days after approval by the Fair Work Commission).
• A main salary structure of year 1 to year 15. 1% increments beyond year 10.
• A new low time pilot separate pay scale based on flight time to be implemented:
• A (0-499 hours)
• B (500 to 999 hours); and
• C (1000 to 1499 hours).

The increments between A, B and C are 1.8%. Pilots’ move to their applicable year of service in the main structure once achieving 1500 hours or 3 years of service, whichever occurs first. There will also be some wording to recognise non-flying duties and ensure any low time pilots are not stuck on level A, B or C for an extended period of time. The maximum a pilot can remain in this table is three years. The level A salary to be set 3% above the Award backpaid to 1 January 2023.

• A new style DHA payment, payable for all duties and all periods from sign-on to sign-off at home base (i.e. payable for each hour away from home base not just duty hours).
• 10 days off per 28 day roster (regardless of pilot requests) from the commencement of the agreement. The company will however have the right to buy back the 10th day at roster build. Where the company buys back the 10th day at roster build this will be at “a days pay at the single time rate”. This is approximately a 5% increase (for the applicable roster period) or 8 hours pay for each time a pilot receives 9 days in a roster. The undertaking from the company is to resource to a level where all pilots receive 10 days off at roster publish. Agreeing to work on any day off after roster publish will continue to be at the call-in rate (i.e. double time). This element of the deal will obviously be subject to careful drafting which we will monitor closely.
• Including in the agreement a minimum 12 hour rest at home base between all duties (except between reserve periods).

Efficiencies/Concessions:

• A fleet freeze of 18 months from check to line or 24 months from employment/award, whichever occurs first. This applies to new hires only.
• 30 minute sign-on from outports only after a minimum rest overnight.
• Early reserve from 2:00am or 3:00am up to a maximum of 2 per roster.
• 12 hour rest cap applying to current clause 35.1.11.

Overall, we believe this is a very good agreement which, subject to final drafting, will deliver real and permanent improvements for Sunstate pilots.

As stated above, our intention is to move as quickly as possible to finalise the drafting and then undertake further engagement with the membership group around the proposed changes.

Thank you for your support.

Jarrod Blaker at jbblaker@bigpond.com
Rod Millroy at rmillroy@gmail.com
Richard Copland at daforce@internode.on.net
an Lyons at danlyons297@hotmail.com

In addition, you can contact AFAP staff member Chris Aikens on chris@afap.org.au . The AFAP Member Assistance Program (MAP) can also be contacted via Freecall 1300 307 912.