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All three major Qantas pilots’ unions have now filed for protected action at freight subsidiary Express Freighters Australia.
The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP), and Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) said more than 90 per cent of Express Freighters pilots have voted yes to action over a pay offer that puts them “at the bottom of the industry”. Low-level actions are set to begin on Friday, including not completing work on days off or before shift commencement.
Express Freighters Australia resides as a cargo line owned by Qantas Freight, which has previously been embroiled in pay disputes with the TWU – resulting in pay increases for freight workers under the “same job, same pay” legislation.
The unions are pushing for industry standard pay increases, improved roster protections and a better work/life balance through the implementation of more days off.
“Pilots in the Qantas Group across three unions are standing up and saying it’s time Qantas comes forward with an industry-standard deal that provides improvements to work/life balance and decent pay increases,” said TWU national secretary Michael Kaine.
“Across the Qantas supply chain, we are still seeing workers struggling with poor rostering, declining conditions, and contracts going to the cheapest bidder. Time and again, we’ve heard Qantas say it’s changed, but we are yet to see evidence of that.
“We need to stop seeing workers treated as a cost to be lowered rather than an investment.”
More than 100 pilots will be able to take industrial action following the ballot, including those handling a “significant amount of Australia Post parcel freight”. The pilots largely perform “back of the clock” overnight flights.
According to the unions, Qantas’ pay offer would entrench poor work/life balance and would “see pilots’ remuneration hovering around the bare legal minimum of the Air Pilots Award 2020”.
This “represents the lowest terms and conditions on virtually every metric” compared to equivalent pilots, said AFAP executive director Simon Lutton.
“It is a very big step for pilots to engage in protected industrial action; however, Qantas have left Express Freighters pilots with no alternative,” he said.
“After many years of being exploited by Qantas, Express Freighters pilots have said enough is enough.
“It is disappointing that it has come to this; however, we hope that by Express Freighters pilots exercising their lawful rights, Qantas will now come to the table with a fair and reasonable offer.”
A Qantas spokesperson said the airline is “putting contingency plans in place” and expects no disruption to freight operations.
“We’re bargaining in good faith for a new agreement and have put forward a proposal that includes significant pay increases and lifestyle improvements for our freighter pilots,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s disappointing that the unions have taken this step instead of continuing discussions. It’s our preference to reach an agreement that delivers increased pay and conditions for our freight pilots and ensures a sustainable business.
