QANTAS MAINLINE

QANTAS

AFAP Qantas Mainline Council

The latest news at Qantas Mainline has been the recent variation to the Qantas Airways Limited Pilots (Short Haul) Enterprise Agreement 2020 (EBA8) to provide for the Airbus-320 (A320) family of aircraft under what Qantas calls ‘Project Winton’.

In summary, Qantas required various changes and concessions to rostering and other clauses within the existing agreement for it to guarantee the first 20 of the Airbus 321 XLR aircraft as replacement aircraft for the existing Boeing 737 (B737) fleet.

Qantas also required these changes to conditions without providing any compensating benefits or improvements to pilot remuneration or conditions.

In terms of timing, the current agreement is set to nominally expire on 31 August 2023 while the first of the A321 XLR aircraft will not begin arriving until late 2024. There is then a ten-year period envisaged for the transition from B737 to A320 family aircraft.

While no compensating benefits were provided under the proposed variation, there was however a very explicit threat from Qantas that if the variation was not voted up “the Group will need to commence an EIS program for another operator or operators within the Group to fly the A321s by the EIS date”. (The AFAP understands EIS to stand for ‘entry into service’.)

The AFAP questioned whether the threat to not provide the aircraft to Qantas Mainline pilots was credible in the current environment and provided detailed information and analysis regarding the variation before it was voted on. The purpose of this information was to ensure that all pilots voted in a fully informed manner.

The AFAP also noted it is very unusual for an employer to seek changes to a closed agreement which are not required during the life of the agreement. It is also unusual that there would not be some compensating benefit or payments in return for the concessions and productivity improvements being sought.

Finally, the AFAP expressed concern that once the concessions being sought by Qantas have been made, they will not be valued or considered as part of the negotiation of the next short haul agreement for which bargaining will commence next year.

Qantas Boeing 737-800

In the end the variation to the existing agreement was supported by a strong majority of pilots covered by the current agreement (EBA8). While the AFAP was not in support of the variation we will of course respect the decision of the pilot majority covered by the agreement. We very much understand the invidious position that Qantas placed their short haul pilots in.

Our attention will now turn to the next round of bargaining at Qantas Mainline set to commence early next year. This will be the first negotiation at Qantas Mainline where Qantas (and any other bargaining representatives) must formally recognise the AFAP as a bargaining representative under the Fair Work Act 2009.

QMC Committee

The AFAP is made up of ten distinct pilot councils, each primarily controlled by their own democratically elected pilot council committee. This year’s election cycle will see a new AFAP Qantas Mainline Council committee, effective from 7 October following the AFAP's 63rd Annual Convention.

We encourage all members of our newly created Qantas Mainline Council to carefully consider nominating, or encouraging a colleague to nominate, for the Qantas Mainline Council committee. It is important that pilots within the Qantas Mainline Council stand up to help shape the direction of AFAP policy at Qantas Mainline.

To nominate, please contact: simon@afap.org.au