Yes. Quite the headline it was too.
For those that aren't in offices and unable to grab a copy:
Rebel Qantas pilots stymie New York, London long-haul plan
Australian Financial Review
Lucas Baird
Feb 17, 2020 — 12.01am
Furious Qantas Airways pilots are side-stepping their union in a secret bid to torpedo 'Project Sunrise' – the flag carrier's plan for ultra-long-haul flights from Australia's east coast to London and New York.
Rebel pilots made the move shortly before management delivered them an ultimatum last week that the project would happen with or without them.
The airline plans to introduce the North Atlantic flights from 2023, but is in negotiation over pay and conditions.
Such material also raises questions over which way pilots will vote now Qantas has also elected to bypass AIPA and put the Project Sunrise employment terms in front of workers if negotiations stall again next month. Mark Metcalfe
Lacking confidence in the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) as bargaining agreement negotiations dragged on, some pilots began circulating self-made material telling others to reject the offer Qantas had put on the table.
"You will be working harder than ever before. You will be away from home more than ever before. And, you will be doing it for less money than ever before," one presentation, obtained by The Australian Financial Review, said.
The presentation – dated January 22 – is understood to be one of several negative inter-worker communiques AIPA has not sanctioned. Other employee streams are also aware of the presentation, after an engineer got a copy when a pilot left theirs in the cockpit of an aircraft undergoing maintenance.
Such material raises questions over which way pilots will vote now Qantas has also elected to bypass AIPA and put the Project Sunrise employment terms in front of workers if negotiations stall again next month.
In an email to staff last week, Qantas International boss Tino La Spina told pilots of the decision and threatened to bring in an outside workforce for the Project Sunrise routes if the industrial agreement was not approved.
"It's become clear that Sunrise is something that our international business needs to maximise its long-term success and defend its competitive position," he said. "It is time to make decisions."
But the author of the negative presentation – who wished to remain anonymous for fears of retaliation from management – remained steadfast in their position.
"We work over Christmas, weekends, all through the night, and now they're asking us to do a flight that is currently illegal, with serious safety questions, and instead they just want to nickel and dime the pilots," the person said.
"Qantas pilots in cockpits all over the world will be distracted today and over the coming weeks by Tino's email and the threat to their jobs."
The airline has said captains flying the route would be paid a base salary of $395,000 a year, with first officers receiving $261,000 and second officers $129,000.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce chose the Airbus A350 ahead of the Boeing 777X for non-stop flights to NYC and London.
Still, internal Qantas documents sighted by the Financial Review show yearly pay on the minimum guaranteed hours under the industrial agreement for captains will be $342,000.
Qantas said the first set of figures was what it anticipated it would be paying pilots based on the frequency of Project Sunrise flights, with the second number providing a floor for what pilots would be paid.
Mr La Spina said it was the airline's strong preference to reach an agreement with the pilots. He has also been hosting regular webinars about the terms in the industrial agreement with pilots.
"We have a good deal on the table for our long-haul pilots, with pay increases and promotional opportunities and we've structured it, so their take-home pay is not negatively impacted," he said.
"The reality is we are running out of time to keep our aircraft delivery slots with Airbus."
Under regulations set by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, the current maximum flight duty limitations of 18-and-a-half hours are also under the time likely required to complete the Project Sunrise services.
However, CASA has advised Qantas no regulatory obstacles are blocking an extension.