Well, here goes. NO!
On the eve of a vote that will in one way or another change our airline, I felt inspired to write down for those who are still making their decision, the reasons for my NO vote, and give those who may have already swayed in the opposite direction something to consider. Don't get me wrong, I am one of the many long serving Captains at Sunstate Airlines who stand to make a tidy cash sum if the ballot is resolved in the yes, however, despite this, I will still be voting NO and here is why.
Firstly, the remuneration for new hire First Officers.
I choose to use my voice to speak up for those who have none, it is un-Australian not to. New hire First Officers (possible future friends who may one day be deep in the heat of battle with the rest of our crew) are already the lowest paid pilots in our business, I won’t be the person who votes to pay them less; I certainly won’t be agreeing to a package that will have new hires joining on lower conditions than what already exists.
While I agree the salary package for those joining with 2000hrs+ and an ATPL is reasonable, for those who don't, it just isn't enough money to do the same job as those who do. Are WE really going to penalise those who cannot otherwise realistically fulfil those arbitrary requirements? The ability to join with an ATPL for those coming up through the GA ranks has effectively been taken away by the new Part 61, so in time, all new hires will be subjected to the package that we agreed to on their behalf. The company knows this, thus the abolishment of bond for new hires; if we think that this condition can be renegotiated come next EBA, we need to stop fooling ourselves.
I put myself in their shoes, probably having worked just as hard as I did to get where they are, on the cusp of the coveted first airline job, and now their future colleagues (possibly future mates) are going to vote on whether they are worth less in the job than they are. If I were them I would have a rather sour taste in my mouth if the vote came out "Yes".
Everyone at Sunstate was a new hire once, and many of us put in a lot of long, hard yards to get here, I won’t be voting yes to make the road longer and harder for these pilots trying to get ahead. At a recent roadshow, the attitude, "I did it hard too!" was displayed as a response to the dissatisfaction of the T's and C's that new hires will join under; that does not fly with me. I personally could not have supported myself and my family on the proposed package with any quality of life, and I can’t in good conscience ask someone else to.
Just because I copped the wooden spoon and "It did me no harm", does not mean I hit my children, let alone HARDER.
Secondly, the PIP.
Other pilot groups within the Qantas group are getting a rate of 6%, we are already only getting half.
I'm certainly not happy with the proposed "half of half"!
While the PIP hasn't been a good "payer" for the recent past, WE have all worked hard to turn this company around, and to give away the benefit of our hard work at the eleventh hour when things are just getting good does not make sense to me. Then, to take away ALL PIP benefit for new hires until the day they get command (and a $25000 bond) seems ludicrous. I cannot fly the aircraft without them, let alone safely and efficiently, so why should they not reap whatever benefit is forthcoming from the safe and efficient operation they they are a critical part of?
Thirdly, DHA and lifestyle (time with family)
While I believe the DHA is a step in the right direction, it in no way discourages the company from having me sit idle in a motel room, away from home, for hours on end in the middle of a three day trip. A DTA would be a different matter, and even better would be some higher recognition of greater duty hours (overtime etc).
As for the "letter of agreement" Re; Reserve utilisation and rostering issues , I have no faith it is truly enforceable in a way that will see an appreciable, positive change to our rostered operations. These letters do not form part of our agreement in anyway and are at best a statement of intention, with sufficient "outs" as and when the company sees fit.
That, I think, covers the primary issues for me, but just a couple of words on a personal note before I once again fade to the back of the crew bus.
We MUST realise that this EBA (warts and all) does not exist in a vacuum and won't become become our (and all future Sunstate pilots) T's and C's unless WE say so. A yes vote is FULL ACCEPTANCE of ALL items and a signal that we are happy with ALL T's and C's. Are we so forgetful and nearsighted that we ignore all that has gone before and the clear and present negative outcomes that would result from an acceptance of this offer? I for one will not so quickly be forgetting the implications that this agreement may have on our colleauges down south, or the rude and callous treatment dumped on the Q300 drivers late last year. Good luck all, sleep well.