I’m proud to be a Qantas pilot – but it appears hell-bent on cutting costs and auctioning jobs to the lowest bidder

Qantas pilots are a passionate bunch. We're keen about our airline. We're keen about its historical past. And we're keen about its legacy and the function we play in it.

We go to work day-after-day with passenger security foremost in our minds. It's our major focus and the one problem that occupies our vitality and keenness. Security earlier than schedule is our mantra.

As we emerge from the pandemic, the operational challenges are important. Lots of the points going through the trade have been nicely documented (and skilled by hundreds of individuals), with lengthy strains for safety, delayed flights, mis-handled baggage and lack of catering now on a regular basis occurrences.

Every of those points might be a part of a “regular” day for pilots, however as journey demand grows, our crews at the moment are going through them on a number of fronts in a day, a number of days in per week, week after week. It's a distinctive problem.

Regardless of these challenges and complexities, whereas on-time efficiency is perhaps nearer to 60%, our pilots be certain that 100% of flights arrive safely.

There’s little question that the airline’s security file is underpinned by the talent, professionalism and expertise of its pilots. However as we try to carry collectively the operation within the face of those challenges, it’s irritating and baffling to seek out our livelihoods constantly threatened by a relentlessly aggressive industrial technique targeted on revenue.

Qantas pilots are not considered belongings, as an alternative we're seen as “value centres” – with numerous Qantas pilot cohorts pitted in opposition to one another in an industrial tackle The Starvation Video games.

In 2020, Qantas pilots have been threatened that in the event that they didn’t vote for the demanded working circumstances for Undertaking Dawn (direct Australia-London and Australia-New York companies), the flying could be outsourced to another Qantas company entity with new pilots employed.

This 12 months, home pilots confronted shedding their jobs when the airline threatened to rent greater than 700 new pilots to fly new Airbus A321XLRs for Undertaking Winton to exchange Boeing 737s from 2024 except it secured “efficiencies.” Qantas denies it ever thought-about outsourcing short-haul flying and mentioned this was communicated to the pilots all through the method. In June, a Qantas spokesperson mentioned: “To be clear, we by no means mentioned a no vote would imply this flying could be outsourced. Had both pilot group not been capable of present us with the working preparations wanted to get a return on our funding, one other entity inside the Qantas Group that was ready to do that would have executed the flying.”

We wish to work with Qantas to beat the airline’s present challenges however our employer seems ready to jeopardise pilot jobs to attain “efficiencies”, threatening our livelihoods and careers. Careers borne of hard-won expertise and dedication and experience dedicated to preserving the Australian travelling public protected.

Qantas pilots love our airline and we love what it stands for. We're proud to be part of the Spirit of Australia. But how Qantas treats its workforce on the subject of industrial relations is in marked distinction to the feelings of “I Nonetheless Name Australia House”.

It needs to be of concern to the travelling public that as an alternative of treating pilots as well-trained and succesful belongings to be valued, Qantas seems hell-bent on persevering with to chop prices and searching for to public sale pilot jobs off to the bottom bidder.

Tony Lucas is the president of the Australian and Worldwide Pilots Affiliation and is a present Qantas examine and coaching captain flying the Airbus A330

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