Qantas Short Haul EA Update No 22
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membership@afap.org.au with the subject line “Please add me to the QPC mailing list”.
Following our previous
SH EA Update where we outlined the process underway for approval of the SH EA, Qantas was invited by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to provide a submission on the compliance issues by close of business Wednesday.
Despite having access to extensive external legal resources and being on notice for a considerable amount of time regarding the two compliance issues (the FOT issue was raised in September last year and the disputes procedure issue arose from a FWC decision in December last year), Qantas has provided the FWC with just a summary outline of its argument and requested a hearing to resolve the issues.
Given these are not complex matters it was open to Qantas to either provide the required undertakings and have the agreement approved immediately or put a full legal argument that would have allowed the FWC to quickly determine how to resolve the compliance issues. These types of issues are routinely raised during EA approval processes and do not require unnecessary formal hearings.
This legal tactic by Qantas IR adds unnecessary delay to the process. Given Qantas is to blame for delaying the introduction of the new Short Haul EA, the AFAP position is pay rises should be honoured by the Company. This is an option lawfully available to the Company.
We have written to the Company seeking a commitment to implement pay rises from the commencement of BP3685 on 19 May 2025 regardless of the approval date, given that Qantas has had months of notice on these issues and yet is not ready to resolve them at the FWC.
We are now awaiting a date for the hearing from the FWC, at which time the AFAP will be ready to work with the FWC to support the approval of the EA voted up by pilots. We will continue to update members as matters with the FWC and Qantas progress.
In the meantime if you have any questions regarding SH bargaining we welcome members contacting the QPC representatives below or 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), and Executive Director Simon Lutton (
simon@afap.org.au) to ensure that you are informed prior to voting.
Regards,
AFAP Qantas Pilot Council
Michael Egan – Chair
Mark Gilmour – Vice- Chair
Daniel Kobeleff – Secretary
Michael Armessen – Committee Member
David LaPorte – Committee Member
Josh Chalmers – Committee Member
Rob Close – Committee Member