Agree that working for free or less than the required standard is unacceptable for both the employer and the pilot. (Legally for the employer, morally for the pilot)
As long as you meet the minimum under the award, then it is legal.
The more subjective question is whether the minimum is sufficient pay for someone that has just forked out $90,000 in training costs and sacrificed 2 years or more for training and experience.
Lets say you score a gig flying a PA31-350 doing freight. The award appears to pay you a min of about $42K p/a full time, plus allowances for IFR, unloading etc.. (Yes, we all know that no one pays the allowances either - "becasue we just can't afford it...").
Lets compare this to a first year solicitor/lawyer (that I met the other day) that did a graduate law degree and incurred fees of $106 (law degree of $96K and practice course of $8000, plus admission fees etc ... etc..). He gets paid the princely sum of $35K p/a. Which is not uncommon in suburban or botique firms.
So the lawyer gets paid a lot less than the pilot.
Its all a BIG generalisation, as the first 1-3 years of any profession can be quite low pay.
But, after 4 years and 2000 hours in the book you could be flying a B200 (Air Ambulance or RFDS) for about $85K+ p/a, which looks palatable, if not enjoyable.
I'd be quite happy to do a year on $42K+ allowances on twins, but agree that it would not pay the mortgage or the lifestyle to which the family have become accustomed.
It is problematic that recovering the amount you spent on training and living at the same time is going to be hard, unless you have a benefactor. Or you have already made your money and decided to spend the $90K and chuck in your higher paying job (whcih I can't seem to bring myself to do).
Simple labour economics - supply and demand.
B.1Classifications and minimum salaries
B.1.1Aircraft classification and minimum salaries
[B.1.1 substituted by PR997787 from 31May10; varied by PR997933, PR503362 from 01Nov10; PR509077, PR522908ppc 01Jul12]
Full-time pilots employed by an airline operation or a general aviation employer must be paid at least the following minimum annual salaries:
Minimum salary per annum
$
Captain
First Officers
Second Pilots
Single engine UTBNI 1360 kg
36,734
31,532
Single engine 1360 kg-3359 kg
38,295
31,532
Single engine 3360 kg & above
44,476
34,717
Multi engine UTBNI 3360 kg
42,772
33,367
Last edited by PaulDamian; 27th July 2012 at 05:14.