Seems that this has now hit the broadsheets. The Australian.
We're not trying to sidestep IR laws on training: Jetstar
rejected accusations that its cadet training scheme is a sham designed to evade the Australian industrial relations system and pay trainees in New Zealand dollars.
The Australian and International Pilots Association has written to the federal ministers for finance and workplace relations asking for investigation into whether Jetstar's cadet scheme flouts Australian workplace and tax laws.
The move comes after three cadets from a New Zealand-based training scheme were stood down operationally after they completed their line training. The association says the advanced cadets were asked to go to New Zealand for three days of observational flying, during which time they received Kiwi bank accounts and tax file numbers.
They then did their endorsement training in Britain and their line training in Australia while being paid in New Zealand dollars.
"They've always been resident in Australia, always been flying in Australia, they've never been resident in New Zealand," AIPA vice-president Richard Woodward said, noting that New Zealand legislation prevented the cadets from flying a jet in that country.
Captain Woodward said one of the cadets was sitting in a Sydney hotel room on allowances and no pay, and another was at home with his girlfriend while they waited for operational clearance.
"It's a total sham," he said. "One of the cadets was bright enough to ring the tax office and say: 'If I'm flying an Australian-registered aircraft and I'm an Australian citizen, should I be paid Australian wages and be paying Australian tax?' The answer was yes, so he was a bit concerned."
Jetstar denied it was not paying the cadets and said it was always the intention to switch the pilots to Australian contracts when their training was completed.
Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said cadets were trained by CTC in Hamilton and were on New Zealand individual employment agreements during training. He said cadets were being paid in full while unable to fly in Australia.
He said a delay in the paperwork was because the system was new but future transitions would be "much more seamless". "We hadn't to this time finalised an Australian contract for our cadet program," he said.
Mr Westaway said the cadets had been flying in Australia because the airline's check and training organisation was predominantly positioned here.
"The other thing to keep in mind is the type of flying in New Zealand is completely different to the type of flying in Australia and you have complexities in the New Zealand aviation landscape with respect to Queenstown and Wellington flying," he said.
Now what Simon doesn't know is I have a set of secret agent x-ray spectacles, they cannot see underwear through clothes (although I wish they could) but what they do detect, very well is spin and BS!
so lets break his comments down:
Jetstar denied it was not paying the cadets and said it was always the intention to switch the pilots to Australian contracts when their training was completed.
Is that so!! well lets just leave that one on notice until next Friday when The Senators ask Bruce Buchanan the question in person.
Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said cadets were trained by CTC in Hamilton and were on New Zealand individual employment agreements during training. He said cadets were being paid in full while unable to fly in Australia.
Oh Simon you speak with such intimate knowledge of the subject matter. It is my understanding that these were in fact Oxford Advanced Cadets that were trained in Australia by Oxford Aviation Academy. The only reason that these cadets did their A3320 endorsement in Gatwick, UK and not in Hong Kong as planned was that Oxford did not have the capacity in their Hong Kong training facility to take them (all 4 of them!!). Oh and answer me this. If the Cadets did their training in New Zealand with CTC, Why did Jetstar have to fly them across to New Zealand before they left to do their A320 endorsement in the UK for the sole purpose of getting a tax file number and opening a bank account if they were already there and had been for a number of weeks?
You also acknowledge Simon that the Cadets were on Individual Employment Agreements whilst training in New Zealand. Norwithstanding that I believe the training took place in Australia and the UK, you seem to acknowledge that they were employed during training. I will come back to that one later, I have more to say on this subject.
He said a delay in the paperwork was because the system was new but future transitions would be "much more seamless". "We hadn't to this time finalised an Australian contract for our cadet program," he said.
BS. Jetstar have had 9 months to sort out the plan for the Cadets since the scheme was launched. I will, if necessary later post a copy of hard evidence disproving that this was Jetstar's intention.
Mr Westaway said the cadets had been flying in Australia because the airline's check and training organisation was predominantly positioned here.
Maybe be so but in doing so you broke the law. You want Pilots to work in Australia the law says you must pay them in accordance with Australian Law. The real reason you did not have them do their line training in New Zealand is that the NZCAA will not give Jetstar a concession and require 500 hours of RPT flying before you are able to act as Flight Crew on High Capacity RPT something the cadets an indeed many other Direct Entry recruits will not have (if such a thing still exists!
You want to have a New Zealand Airline and pay NZ dollars, get an AOC in New Zealand and get a Check and Training DEPARTMENT in New Zealand. As an aside, I am still suspicious about the reference to "Check and Training Organisation ".
"The other thing to keep in mind is the type of flying in New Zealand is completely different to the type of flying in Australia and you have complexities in the New Zealand aviation landscape with respect to Queenstown and Wellington flying," he said.
Cannot comment, never been there. Maybe that is a safety angle. Hmmmm. Other than the fact that most A320s fly up around FL380 most of the time maybe they did not want to expose the cadets to challenging approaches just yet? Perhaps a confidence issue there. Speak to your Chief Pilot MR, he will put your mind at rest, he is 'very confident ' in the Cadets abilities.
Simon, I was once told that "if you are going to be a liar,be a good one" you I am sorry to say are not.
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