CurtissJenny
25th Aug 2003, 09:27
Looking back through my pay advice slips shows that it must be about three years since I saw an increase in the GA Pilots Award.
Perhaps now would be a good time for the AFAP to commence the process of getting an increase on the roll - small as it always is.
I have found that over the last year the cost of everything has gone up - except the dollars in my pay packet.
Politicians, business CEOs' and GA execs seem to have no problem in getting a rise, why not us at the coal face ?
No, I do not subscribe to that tired old expression 'The industry cannot afford it'.
If you were to tell the car builders that they should take a pay cut in order to allow more cars to be sold see what sort of uproar that would bring.
Likewise should we as Charter pilots and Instructors continue to be paid lowly wages just in order to let more business flourish - after having spent truly enormous sums, not to mention time, to gain the qualifications that allow us to fly (read work).
The answer is a simple NO !
It is also way past the time when a new formula should be used to work out what pay a GA pilot should receive.
The current formula, based on weight, is unrealistic and could not have been put together with the input of a working GA pilot.
Added to that is that the current GA award is not user friendly. It is very hard to interpret by a layman and indeed two operators on the same airport can interpret it two ways and pay pilots different amounts for doing the same work.
I also have to question should an award have to exist ?
University and business graduates are not paid 'by award' but by merit and qualifications. And the list of qualifications required to do even a simple joyride are rising.
Should we be looking at something similar for pilots. A realistic return for a days work - flown or not. And let us not have that old red herring of 'casual' be used to try and knock down our wage needs.
Remember, McDonalds and David Jones do not pay their counter staff commission on the sales made. And as many pilots will be aware the junior admin staff at many aviation firms, doing a 9 to 5, M to F week, earn more than the pilots.
True, a rise may put some businesses out of work in which case you have to ask should they have been there in the first place, at our expense.
Perhaps there should be a very realistic minimum pay schedule and then pilots should be paid by qualifications, experience and time served.
I keep reading in the media of pay rises for the lowly paid in Australia but somehow those pay rises never seem to filter down to me.
Now may be the time for the media to investigate the aviation industry and reveal how pilots have to spend vast sums to gain qualifications that return a paupers pittance, and everyone says nothing.
Forget the employer who says "I am letting you work for me (for a pittance) so that you can get those valuable hours required for you to get that well paid airline job. I am doing you a big favour".
This is jusy plain crass crap and insult to our intelligence.
History would show us that the number of working CPLs' who make airlines is at best 1 or 2 out of a 100.
GA pilots are ovedue for a pay rise and a substantial rise at that.
I say now is the time for action !
Perhaps now would be a good time for the AFAP to commence the process of getting an increase on the roll - small as it always is.
I have found that over the last year the cost of everything has gone up - except the dollars in my pay packet.
Politicians, business CEOs' and GA execs seem to have no problem in getting a rise, why not us at the coal face ?
No, I do not subscribe to that tired old expression 'The industry cannot afford it'.
If you were to tell the car builders that they should take a pay cut in order to allow more cars to be sold see what sort of uproar that would bring.
Likewise should we as Charter pilots and Instructors continue to be paid lowly wages just in order to let more business flourish - after having spent truly enormous sums, not to mention time, to gain the qualifications that allow us to fly (read work).
The answer is a simple NO !
It is also way past the time when a new formula should be used to work out what pay a GA pilot should receive.
The current formula, based on weight, is unrealistic and could not have been put together with the input of a working GA pilot.
Added to that is that the current GA award is not user friendly. It is very hard to interpret by a layman and indeed two operators on the same airport can interpret it two ways and pay pilots different amounts for doing the same work.
I also have to question should an award have to exist ?
University and business graduates are not paid 'by award' but by merit and qualifications. And the list of qualifications required to do even a simple joyride are rising.
Should we be looking at something similar for pilots. A realistic return for a days work - flown or not. And let us not have that old red herring of 'casual' be used to try and knock down our wage needs.
Remember, McDonalds and David Jones do not pay their counter staff commission on the sales made. And as many pilots will be aware the junior admin staff at many aviation firms, doing a 9 to 5, M to F week, earn more than the pilots.
True, a rise may put some businesses out of work in which case you have to ask should they have been there in the first place, at our expense.
Perhaps there should be a very realistic minimum pay schedule and then pilots should be paid by qualifications, experience and time served.
I keep reading in the media of pay rises for the lowly paid in Australia but somehow those pay rises never seem to filter down to me.
Now may be the time for the media to investigate the aviation industry and reveal how pilots have to spend vast sums to gain qualifications that return a paupers pittance, and everyone says nothing.
Forget the employer who says "I am letting you work for me (for a pittance) so that you can get those valuable hours required for you to get that well paid airline job. I am doing you a big favour".
This is jusy plain crass crap and insult to our intelligence.
History would show us that the number of working CPLs' who make airlines is at best 1 or 2 out of a 100.
GA pilots are ovedue for a pay rise and a substantial rise at that.
I say now is the time for action !