There are very limited companies that pay and abide by the GA award and I mean FULLY ABIDE BY. Including, duty times, O/N allowances etc. However, I could probably count them on one hand!
Within the last 3 years I've moved through 3 different employers, both of which paid well under the award. Never got O/N allowances, expected to fudge duty times, expected to wait under the planes wing from 7am till 5pm (if the pax were even remotely on time) in 45 degree heat, cover up out-of-date fire extinguishers and life jackets, fly an aircraft when you know its only running on 3 cylinders instead of 4. And thats only to mention a few! If you don't or wont do it...there is the door. And sure enough, they will have somone to replace you who WILL do the job before you even hear the door slam behind you. THATS THE REALITY!
Many pilots working in this industry at the low experienced level (including myself) are scared into the job. By this I mean, they will do anything to get those hours in the logbook. And if they don't, someone else will! Its a dog eat dog industry and no one is looking out for you, other than yourself.
I'd like to finish by writing a quick quote I wrote recently to CASA and AFAP for help:
Whilst reading todays paper I was drawn to the column of Hungry Jacks employees and their rates of pay. An employee working for Hungry Jack gets 17.10/hr for the top tier worker (grade 5). If you do the maths on a 40hr working week, this totals $684 gross. In a General Aviation pilots full time wage for a 40 hr week is $16.25/hr which totals $650 gross. I am not, by any means, belittleing the employees of Hungry Jacks, however I am comparing the level of education, training, proficiency and standards that are envloved in our day to day operations. After the 9 years it has taken me to complete my training, the stresses and testings envolved in our workplace are somewhat of an extremely hight calabre. The salary payment is absolutely dismal and may I say the remuneration cannot be the motivation behind this career. A statement I'd like to inform our future potential aviators.
I'd like to finish by asking you why should I, and many other aviation pilots in the General Aviation Industry, become a member of this federation if we're not part of this Appendix A? I'm not asking to be paid exuberant amounts of money to do what I do, all i'm asking for a fair go with a bit of support and be given what we are entitled to. A fair go at a professional career in an everchanging and challenging environment and reap the benifits of our hard work at the end of the day. Otherwise, why have an Award?
It is common understanding in this industry that we just 'turn a blind eye' to the level of treatment and benifits of obtaining a career in aviation and I can assure you i'm not the only one feeling this. I am trying my hardest to fight off the anger and frustration within me, whilst at the same time try and cope with the operations and logistics of flying an aircraft with paying souls on board.