Parcel deliveries won’t be impacted when Qantas pilots responsible for transporting mail take industrial action over a wage offer they say will leave them at the bottom of the industry.
More than 100 Express Freighters pilots will be eligible to begin low-level action from Friday after over 90 per cent voted in favour of protected action over the company’s “lowball” pay offer.
After six months of protracted negotiations, unions said the company has refused to improve the offer, which in some cases, would see pilots’ remuneration hovering around the bare legal minimum and would entrench poor work-life balance.
The pilots fly a significant amount of Australia Post’s parcel freight overnight on “back of the clock” flights and spend up to 260 hours away from home each month.
Three unions, the Transport Workers Union (TWU), Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) and Australian and International Pilots Association, have filed protected action ballots for the first time.
Pilots undertaking the low-level action will stop work on days off and not complete work before a scheduled shift, as the unions set the runway for escalating action if Qantas doesn’t come back with a better offer.
The TWU and AFAP are calling for a pay increase to match industry standards, as well as improvements to roster protections and additional days off to improve work-life balance.
Qantas have put contingency plans in place, with the majority of freight moved in the belly of its passenger planes not affected by this action, and they and don’t expect any impact on 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,” a spokeswoman said.
“It’s disappointing that the unions have taken this step instead of continuing discussions.”
Workers are struggling with poor rostering, declining conditions, and contracts going to the cheapest bidder across the Qantas supply chain, TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said.
“Industrial action is always a last resort, but once again we’ve seen Qantas come to the bargaining table seeking to lowball its workers instead of give them a fair offer,” he said.
“We need to stop seeing workers treated as a cost to be lowered rather than an investment.”
AFAP’s executive director Simon Lutton said the pilots had no other choice than to take action.
“When compared to equivalent pilots, the offer made by Qantas to its Express Freighters pilots represents the lowest terms and conditions on virtually every metric,” Mr Lutton said.
In February, Qantas posted $1.39 billion in profits before tax in its half-yearly results.
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