AFAP QPC Briefing #2
Happy Friday everyone,
One of the advantages of having an established Pilot Council under the AFAP is the exposure and contact with various other Pilot Councils, particularly during periods of Enterprise Bargaining.
The QPC has direct contact with The AFAP bargaining representatives, and it has been able to gain exclusive insights, recently with regards to Network and Virgin's discussions. Although the QPC is completely independent of the other Councils, mutually beneficial discussions surrounding tactics and state-of-play give unique insights into what does and doesn’t work. It also allows for timely pay and condition data that can be used as a benchmark by the AFAP for upcoming EA negotiations.
Network Update
As many of you may already be aware, last week the AFAP Network Pilot’s Council (representing over 90% of Network pilots) and Network Aviation (along with the other bargaining parties present) reached an in principle agreement. It is encouraging to see that after PIA, the agreement is an improvement on the original offer from Network Aviation.
Should the proposed agreement be voted up, the base salary percentage increase for Network pilots is between 12 % to 22% as per the table below.
Please note the above table does not include the additional FIFO allowance of $7500 (all Captains) and $4875 (all F/Os) paid annually and is indexed.
Has the QF wage freeze policy been adhered to?
Yes – the last salary increase under the expired 2016 Network EA was on 15 October 2019. Over Covid the Network pilots did not receive a salary increase for October 2020 and October 2021.
The new agreement has salary increases commencing and backdated to 15 October 2022.
The Network Agreement will now be drafted before being voted on by the Network pilots, who will then decide if this is an acceptable offer.
Virgin EA Update
Bargaining at Virgin commenced in July this year and the agreement does not expire until June 30, 2024.
The current Company offer made on 9 November summarised is:
The Company are also seeking a number of work rule changes including reduction in DDO buffers & increase in FDPs (to CAO48.1). The Company proposal also includes a MGH change from current 57.5 per 28 days to 65 in 7 off-peak RPs and 69 in 6 peak RPs.
Understanding The AFAP structure
We have fielded many questions about the AFAP structure and how it operates, and there are many misconceptions evident in these questions.
The AFAP operates as a central hub of industrial resources, with satellite councils that utilise the resources of the central hub for the required needs of the members they represent. The satellite councils have autonomy on issues affecting their members.
How effective the representation provided by AFAP is, is dictated by how well the individual councils utilise the resources at their disposal. Hence the AFAP representation experience can differ between organisations depending on the particular council.
The AFAP Executive's role (not to be confused with a Pilot Council) is to provide oversight and accountability as well as ensuring good governance and compliance for the organisation as a whole. The Executive also assist with issues with industry wide implications.
This structure results in a deep and experienced pool of resources with exposure to a wide variety of industrial tactics and tools employed by the various organisations represented.
Updates
As mentioned last week, we will update members most weeks via this brief if there are indeed updates. Some weeks will naturally contain nothing to report on. In such circumstances there won’t be an update. We would rather only deliver relevant information and avoid waffle or opinion pieces.
SH Survey
Our SHEA survey will be released today. We have engaged multiple Short Haul members to put this together, and to ensure we cover as many specific issues and interests as possible. As always, we welcome input and feedback.
AFAP members at both Short Haul and Long Haul will receive an email with an individual link to complete the survey. Please check your junk mail if you have not received an email.
The survey will take about 15-20 minutes to complete depending on your answers. Please note this survey cannot be saved and completed later as the link you will be provided works only once.
We encourage you to provide as much detail and feedback as you desire in the open-text questions. Individual responses will be kept strictly confidential.
Any issues with completing the survey please AFAP Senior Legal/ Industrial Officer Patrick Larkins on 03 9928 5737 or via email to
patrick@afap.org.au. For any other SH pilots wishing to complete the survey who are not AFAP members they may contact the AFAP on details above to receive a link.
The QPC is realistic about what we hope to achieve from this SH EA negotiation given the only very recent, continual substantial increase in AFAP members.
The QPC has a seat at the negotiating table, and will negotiate with exceptionally experienced professional negotiators pursuing a log of claims based on the survey results.
We aim to provide much needed transparency to the negotiating process by providing regular updates on meetings and our progress to ensure our members are fully aware of the important issues along the way. It goes without saying that detailed, unbiased explanations of any proposed EA offer put to the QPC by Qantas will of course be provided to members.
It is important to note, that as our membership continues to grow, we will gain further leverage. As our leverage grows, we intend to utilise all appropriate negotiating tools and strategies available to achieve our member’s stated EA desires.
Beyond the EA outcome, the survey results will enable the QPC to assess if our members needs are being adequately met and address any shortcomings or concerns our members may have.
LH Survey
As with the short haul survey, the long haul survey will inform our log of claims. This is YOUR EA, and so it is up to you to decide what is negotiated. Again, we welcome input and suggestions when formulating the survey.
For any general inquiries regarding this update or other matters at Qantas please contact the AFAP legal and industrial team of Senior Legal/ Industrial Officer Pat Larkins (
patrick@afap.org.au), Senior Industrial Officer Chris Aikens (
chris@afap.org.au), or Executive Director Simon Lutton (
simon@afap.org.au).
Regards,
AFAP Qantas Pilot Council
Michael Egan - Chair
Mark Gilmour - Vice- Chair
Daniel Kobeleff - Secretary
Michael Armessen - Committee Member