Achi news desk-
Qantas’ main pilot union, the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), has issued a rare, detailed criticism of the airline’s management of Australia’s pilot shortage as more workers quit for roles across the US, East Central and Asia.
The problem – and its pressure on pay and conditions – looms as a key test for Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson, just six months into her role, and her inherited industrial relations strategy.
“The challenge is whether those leading the Qantas Group can recognize the pilot labor challenges ahead and decide that the industrial landscape needs real reform. Reform to protect the asset that is part of their pilot community. Do they seek band-aid solutions to stop the bleeding, or do they really recognize the value of healing the wound?” AIPA said in a March 21 email to its members.
“Qantas needs to get rid of previous industrial ideology to ensure this country has enough pilots to meet forecast demand and to protect these assets, including you, from looking abroad for better opportunities, no matter what stage of your career.”
Diminishing returns
AIPA’s criticism follows recent comments from the Australian Federation of Airline Pilots, which remains locked in a bitter industrial dispute with Qantas Group over the pay and conditions of pilots at Network Aviation, its regional subsidiary in Perth. Mediation ends on Thursday, and if there is no agreement the Fair Work Commission will draw up an enterprise bargaining agreement. Qantas has begun talks with unions on an EBA for short-haul pilots that expire in June.
Regarding the shortage of pilots in Australia, AIPA noted the complexity of factors contributing to the issue. However, one driving factor has been to “drive wages down through the creation of various subsidiaries”, which, when combined with the “increasing costs of obtaining flying qualifications – now in the vicinity of $150,000”, has reduced the appeal of the profession. to recruits.
The problem for Australia’s aviation sector is one of supply and demand, exacerbated by the expanding global pilot shortage, of which the US is predicted to need more than 130,000 over the next two decades. Australian pilots are in a unique position for jobs in the US thanks to the E-3 visa as part of the Australia-US free trade agreement, inked in 2015. Between then and March 2023, 3,793 Australian pilots have been granted E-3 visa.
‘You can mix it up’
Speaking to Cricket, two pilots who recently left Australia to work with US airlines cited a lack of career progression, a wider variety of professional challenges, more take-home pay, more time at home, and more opportunity to travel as motivations for their shift career. Due to their contractual obligations, the pilots cannot be named.
“Whether an Aussie flies in the US as an airline pilot or a cargo pilot, one thing remains constant across the industry: the choice to fly more to do more, or fly less to spend more time with the family. That level of flexibility is impossible in Australia at the moment,” one pilot said.
As an aside, the pilots said that another significant difference is the flexibility to change work patterns.
“On your fleet, you can apply from month to month for more work, or more days off, or to fly a line, or sit in reserve. You can change your fleet and your seat every two years if you want, pretty much without restriction, so if your current type of flight is getting old, you can mix it up.”
Indeed, one of the key reasons why Qantas-owned Jetstar is struggling to find pilots for its main base in Sydney is the costly, time-consuming commute of time, where parking includes a bus to the terminal and eye-catching road tolls, pilot sources. say Cricket.
“The US offers incredible flexibility in choosing which direction you want your career to progress. Within a legacy airline with multiple fleets, you can change your flying position every two years, allowing for new professional challenges, more earning potential, or more time at home,” said one pilot.
The consensus between offshore pilots, Australian pilots, and Australian pilot unions is the same. The risk of Australia losing more recruits lies with the airlines themselves – and the current Qantas industrial dispute is exacerbating the problem.
“Whether those are in leadership positions within the company [Qantas] It is up to them to decide the value of protecting their pilots rather than parking planes against a fence. But they can’t say they didn’t know or weren’t warned,” AIPA said.
