Network EBA
Not sure but
is a slip. The emotion behind it seems to be a mix of anger and fear.
Any references to membership of the Chairmans Lounge, which political party appointed them, etc are demeaning and disparaging and shows the lack of intellect of those making the comments.
The following users liked this post:
Like these guys or not, they have served a great purpose by driving the company agenda on here. The rest of us are more resolute than ever in our opposition to said agenda.
The following 3 users liked this post by gordonfvckingramsay:
167 posts and ZERO likes. Sounds legit.
can admin please just remove this wannabe clown.
The other clown too…you must know who I’m referring to.
Flying their office chair and nothing more…
The following 4 users liked this post by Gas Chamber:
‘Band-aid solutions’: Qantas pilots union skewers airline over recruitment shortage
'Qantas needs to discard previous industrial ideology to ensure this country has enough pilots to meet projected demand,' said the AIPA union.MICHAEL SAINSBURY
MAR 25, 2024
Share
A QANTAS AIRPLANE (IMAGE: AAP/FABRIZIO GANDOLFO)The main Qantas pilot union, the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), has issued a rare, detailed critique of the airline’s management over Australia’s pilot shortage as more employees quit for roles across the United States, Middle East and Asia. The problem — and its pressure on wages and conditions — is looming as a key test for Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson, only six months into her role, and her inherited industrial relations strategy.
“The challenge is can those leading the Qantas Group recognise the pilot labour challenges before them and decide that genuine reform of the industrial landscape is needed. Reform to safeguard the asset that is their pilot community. Do they seek band-aid solutions to stem the bleeding, or do they recognise the value of actually healing the wound?” AIPA said in a March 21 email to its members.
“Qantas needs to discard previous industrial ideology to ensure this country has enough pilots to meet projected demand and to protect these assets, including you, from looking overseas for better opportunities, no matter what stage of your career.”
Diminishing returns
Australia is facing a pilot crisis, as US airlines poach Qantas, Virgin and Rex recruits
Read MoreThe AIPA critique follows recent comments by the Australian Federation of Airline Pilots, which remains locked in a bitter industrial dispute with Qantas Group over pilots wages and conditions at Network Aviation, its Perth-based regional subsidiary. Mediation ends Thursday, and if there is no agreement the Fair Work Commission will draw up an enterprise bargaining agreement. Qantas has begun talks with unions on an EBA for short-haul pilots that expires in June.Regarding the shortage of pilots in Australia, AIPA noted the complexity of factors contributing to the issue. However, one driving factor has been “the driving down of wages through the creation of various subsidiaries”, which, when coupled with the “ever-increasing costs of obtaining flying qualifications — now in the vicinity of $150,000”, has diminished the profession’s appeal to recruits.
The problem for the Australian aviation sector is supply and demand, exacerbated by the pilot shortage extending globally, with the US forecasted to need more than 130,000 over the next two decades. Australian pilots are uniquely positioned for jobs in the US thanks to the E-3 visa as part of the Australia-US free-trade agreement, inked in 2015. Between then and March 2023, 3,793 Australian pilots have been granted an E-3 visa.
‘You can mix it up’
Speaking to Crikey, two pilots who recently left Australia for employment with US airlines cited a lack of career progression, a broader array of professional challenges, more take-home pay, more time at home, and more opportunity for travel as motivations for their career shift. Due to their contractual obligations, the pilots cannot be named.“Whether an Aussie is flying in the US as an airline pilot or cargo pilot, one thing remains constant across the industry: the choice of flying more to make more, or flying less to spend more time with the family. That degree of flexibility is impossible currently in Australia,” said one pilot.
Qantas subsidiary pilots and engineers claim recruitment and local safety concerns
Read MorePay aside, the pilots remarked that another significant difference is the flexibility to change work patterns.“On your fleet, you can bid month to month for more work, or more days off, or to fly a line, or sit reserve. You can change your fleet and seat every two years if you choose, largely without limitation, so if your current type of flying gets stale, you can mix it up.”
Indeed, one of the key reasons Jetstar, owned by Qantas, is struggling to find pilots for its main base in Sydney is the time-consuming, costly commute, where parking involves a bus to the terminal and eye-watering road tolls, pilot sources told Crikey.
“The US offers incredible flexibility in your choice of which direction you would like your career to progress. Within a legacy airline with multiple fleets, you can change your flying position every two years, allowing for new professional challenges, more earning potential, or more time at home,” one pilot said.
The consensus between offshore pilots, Australian pilots, and pilot unions in Australia is the same. The danger of Australia losing more recruits — and Qantas’ current industrial dispute is only exacerbating the problem — comes down to the airlines themselves.
“Whether those in leadership positions within the company [Qantas] see the value in safeguarding their pilots rather than parking aircraft against a fence is for them to decide. But they can’t say they didn’t know or weren’t warned,” AIPA said
The following 5 users liked this post by dragon man:
‘Band-aid solutions’: Qantas pilots union skewers airline over recruitment shortage
'Qantas needs to discard previous industrial ideology to ensure this country has enough pilots to meet projected demand,' said the AIPA union.MICHAEL SAINSBURY
MAR 25, 2024
Share
A QANTAS AIRPLANE (IMAGE: AAP/FABRIZIO GANDOLFO)The main Qantas pilot union, the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), has issued a rare, detailed critique of the airline’s management over Australia’s pilot shortage as more employees quit for roles across the United States, Middle East and Asia.The problem — and its pressure on wages and conditions — is looming as a key test for Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson, only six months into her role, and her inherited industrial relations strategy.
“The challenge is can those leading the Qantas Group recognise the pilot labour challenges before them and decide that genuine reform of the industrial landscape is needed. Reform to safeguard the asset that is their pilot community. Do they seek band-aid solutions to stem the bleeding, or do they recognise the value of actually healing the wound?” AIPA said in a March 21 email to its members.
“Qantas needs to discard previous industrial ideology to ensure this country has enough pilots to meet projected demand and to protect these assets, including you, from looking overseas for better opportunities, no matter what stage of your career.”
Diminishing returns
Australia is facing a pilot crisis, as US airlines poach Qantas, Virgin and Rex recruits
Read MoreThe AIPA critique follows recent comments by the Australian Federation of Airline Pilots, which remains locked in a bitter industrial dispute with Qantas Group over pilots wages and conditions at Network Aviation, its Perth-based regional subsidiary. Mediation ends Thursday, and if there is no agreement the Fair Work Commission will draw up an enterprise bargaining agreement. Qantas has begun talks with unions on an EBA for short-haul pilots that expires in June.Regarding the shortage of pilots in Australia, AIPA noted the complexity of factors contributing to the issue. However, one driving factor has been “the driving down of wages through the creation of various subsidiaries”, which, when coupled with the “ever-increasing costs of obtaining flying qualifications — now in the vicinity of $150,000”, has diminished the profession’s appeal to recruits.
The problem for the Australian aviation sector is supply and demand, exacerbated by the pilot shortage extending globally, with the US forecasted to need more than 130,000 over the next two decades. Australian pilots are uniquely positioned for jobs in the US thanks to the E-3 visa as part of the Australia-US free-trade agreement, inked in 2015. Between then and March 2023, 3,793 Australian pilots have been granted an E-3 visa.
‘You can mix it up’
Speaking to Crikey, two pilots who recently left Australia for employment with US airlines cited a lack of career progression, a broader array of professional challenges, more take-home pay, more time at home, and more opportunity for travel as motivations for their career shift. Due to their contractual obligations, the pilots cannot be named.“Whether an Aussie is flying in the US as an airline pilot or cargo pilot, one thing remains constant across the industry: the choice of flying more to make more, or flying less to spend more time with the family. That degree of flexibility is impossible currently in Australia,” said one pilot.
Qantas subsidiary pilots and engineers claim recruitment and local safety concerns
Read MorePay aside, the pilots remarked that another significant difference is the flexibility to change work patterns.“On your fleet, you can bid month to month for more work, or more days off, or to fly a line, or sit reserve. You can change your fleet and seat every two years if you choose, largely without limitation, so if your current type of flying gets stale, you can mix it up.”
Indeed, one of the key reasons Jetstar, owned by Qantas, is struggling to find pilots for its main base in Sydney is the time-consuming, costly commute, where parking involves a bus to the terminal and eye-watering road tolls, pilot sources told Crikey.
“The US offers incredible flexibility in your choice of which direction you would like your career to progress. Within a legacy airline with multiple fleets, you can change your flying position every two years, allowing for new professional challenges, more earning potential, or more time at home,” one pilot said.
The consensus between offshore pilots, Australian pilots, and pilot unions in Australia is the same. The danger of Australia losing more recruits — and Qantas’ current industrial dispute is only exacerbating the problem — comes down to the airlines themselves.
“Whether those in leadership positions within the company [Qantas] see the value in safeguarding their pilots rather than parking aircraft against a fence is for them to decide. But they can’t say they didn’t know or weren’t warned,” AIPA said
Just you wait Qantas, someone will be handing out flyers to student pilots soon, explaining the cost of living vs Qf salaries and how to use subsidaries to build time to leave the country so they can afford a home. Let the mass exodus begin. Once this kicks off I will not stop until every jet in the country is parked and a jet F/O salary is base 250k AUD. This is your own doing and over the coming year every student pilot in the country will know the true reality of being a pilot in this country. Prepare for Blitzkreig!
Maybe in good time someone will set up a business to benefit other airlines through this global pilot shortage to suck every pilot out of this nations broken aviation industry.
The following users liked this post:
Just you wait Qantas, someone will be handing out flyers to student pilots soon, explaining the cost of living vs Qf salaries and how to use subsidaries to build time to leave the country so they can afford a home. Let the mass exodus begin. Once this kicks off I will not stop until every jet in the country is parked and a jet F/O salary is base 250k AUD. This is your own doing and over the coming year every student pilot in the country will know the true reality of being a pilot in this country. Prepare for Blitzkreig!
Maybe in good time someone will set up a business to benefit other airlines through this global pilot shortage to suck every pilot out of this nations broken aviation industry.
Maybe in good time someone will set up a business to benefit other airlines through this global pilot shortage to suck every pilot out of this nations broken aviation industry.
private schools and a couple of BMWs parked next to the vineyard have gone, if of course you stay in Oz. QF are the laughing stock of the World. They are amateurs and, as an Aussie passport holder, an embarrassment every time I hear them on the radio at LHR and JFK. Embrace life, show yourselves and your kids what exists outside the heavily taxed, heavily regulated environment of Australia. Life is great and there
are many awesome operators that take care of
you and your families. Watching staff travel
sights to see if you get an economy seat home should
not be something you have to do. Wondering where the next mortgage payment comes from should never happen. Holidays should be funded from bonuses not salaries. They are for your investment properties in Spain
The following 5 users liked this post by ActiveLooker:
As a safety driven airline, because they tell us a hundred times during the feature length pre-takeoff safety movie, it defies belief that the only* solution to the problem is to recruit cadets, and other less current forms of ‘seat meat’. Meanwhile in Merca, the FAA is curtailing the privileges the airlines traditionally enjoy when it comes to manufacturing pilots as the desperation to crew flights can have deleterious effects on what gets checked to the line. CASA……hello CASA 🦗 🦗 🦗🦗
*there is another solution but it is obviously way too complicated for the brains trust running the sh!t show. Even with millions dollar consultants operating their mouths, management can’t seem to figure it out.
*there is another solution but it is obviously way too complicated for the brains trust running the sh!t show. Even with millions dollar consultants operating their mouths, management can’t seem to figure it out.
The following 6 users liked this post by gordonfvckingramsay:
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: You know where the Opera House is? Well....no where near there.
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 38 Likes
on
11 Posts
Yet, today a large amount of pilots will do anything to get into mainline. Of course management know this and are exploiting it. Maybe the next generation or the one after things may be different, which is not their problem now.
And many are only opting for mainline as it is a less sh!t job than the outfits they’re leaving.
Last edited by gordonfvckingramsay; 25th Mar 2024 at 20:50.
almost 50% of the JQ pilots on mainline hold have requested to be removed in light of commands or the 78, crazy times when even Jq pilots don’t want to move to QF.
The following 5 users liked this post by LostontheLOC:
Yet, today a large amount of pilots will do anything to get into mainline. Of course management know this and are exploiting it.
A problem for Qantas is that so much of the short haul flying done by the business has been farmed out to subsidiaries that they are mainly robbing Peter to pay Paul. Moving a pilot from Jetstar , or Jetstar NZ, or Network, or Jetconnect or Q-Link etc is good in that the asset has stayed in the group but it still costs money and keeps the group pilot numbers exactly the same. The challenge is to increase the overall group pilot numbers so that group flying can grow, or at the very least stay the same. For QF group pilot numbers to grow or remain the same CPL graduates with no ties need to be choosing to fly for the group, but that’s not enough. Pilots from outside of the group ( Rex, Virgin, RFDS, Air NZ Link , Bonza) need to be joining the group in numbers great enough to cover baby boomers retiring and expansion. There’s really only one way to ensure that return on fleet investment is possible. If this isn’t done then market share will be lost to the Chinese , Middle Eastern and American carriers internationally, and Rex , Virgin, Bonza domestically. Slowly but surely Qantas will shrink if it chooses not to sure up its ‘group’ pilot numbers.
The following 6 users liked this post by framer:
And that will only happen when the powers to be have that light bulb moment and admit they have a problem.
The following 2 users liked this post by dragon man:
Management know the answer to the problem yet they choose not to make use of it. As yours truly said several posts back, the adjusted figure for a narrow body captain should be in the vicinity of $460k. The very future of the airline is in question if, or rather when they park brand new airframes due to low pilot numbers.
On another note, I believe IR have chosen not to engage in any good faith negotiations to date, despite orders to do so. The AFAP have made a concerted effort to bring this to an end in such a way that benefits both the company and the pilots, but have been met with the predictable hubris. An eleventh hour deal is quickly becoming the only option if the timeframe ordered by the FWC is to be honoured. It would appear Emperor Nero has had a second coming.
On another note, I believe IR have chosen not to engage in any good faith negotiations to date, despite orders to do so. The AFAP have made a concerted effort to bring this to an end in such a way that benefits both the company and the pilots, but have been met with the predictable hubris. An eleventh hour deal is quickly becoming the only option if the timeframe ordered by the FWC is to be honoured. It would appear Emperor Nero has had a second coming.
The following 3 users liked this post by gordonfvckingramsay:
Compare this to the Qantas groups 9% over 5 years and what is happening to Network pilots.
DEAL GIVES 26PC PAY RISES TO WORKERS
multi-*employer agreement
EWIN HANNANAir-conditioning manufacturers and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union have struck the first private sector multi-*employer agreement delivering 26 per cent in pay rises over four years, guaranteed casual conversion rights after three months, an increased span of working hours and a joint commitment to higher skills and increased productivity.
The landmark agreement covering an initial nine employers employing 200 employees, with written commitments from a further seven firms, includes a groundbreaking labour pool clause that requires employers during peak periods to offer work to employees in the other companies before they can engage external casuals or labour hire.
The annual pay of the workers, who install commercial air-*conditioning systems in NSW and the ACT will increase from $102,000 to $133,000 over the life of the agreement that delivers 6 per cent a year wage rises, com*pounding to 26.2 per cent.
The hourly rate will increase from $47 to $60.69.
Declaring the measures will drive “real gains in efficiency and productivity”, the agreement commits the parties to extend the start of ordinary working hours from 6am to 4am, through to 6pm, with double time paid outside those hours.
A new skills development program designed to build a more highly skilled, versatile and flexible workforce will be implemented and a new Industry Skills Council created within the first 12 months of the agreement.
The in-principle agreement, subject to a final vote of workers due next week, says casual employees who have worked a regular pattern of work for three months must be offered a permanent position, while significantly higher wages will be paid to apprentices to attract and keep them in the industry.
The deal, which follows 18 months of negotiations, reinstates a raft of union rights clauses including delegates rights, paid union meetings across all sites of up to four hours every quarter, 10 days of paid union training leave for delegates annually, a union notice board and meeting room, and a requirement that new employees be introduced to the AMWU as part of their official induction program.
AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy expects many other companies to voluntarily sign up to the agreement but “we might well find there are some employers that have to be roped in against their will because workers just need a decent pay rise”.
Asked about the implications of the agreement for the manufacturing sector, he said “once you start to lift the value of a particular trade, you start to pull other trades up.
“Where construction goes, manufacturing will follow. The reason you do this is to put the correct value on the labour that is being provided,” he said.
“Races to the bottom don’t work. The best way to compete in order to make sure we all enjoy a decent standard of living … is to have quality, safety, training and efficiencies that we establish and work together to find a solution for. That’s exactly what this agreement does. It sets up a different conversation that is not conflict based, to say that we are all stakeholders in this industry and we want it to have secure good jobs in the future. We also want it to be productive and for bosses to make their profits”.
HVAC Manufacturing and Installation Association president Mimmo Scavera said the negotiated agreement contained “some wins, some losses on both sides, and we came up with a happy medium we’re all satisfied with”.
“A better skilled workforce and an organised workforce is always a better productive workforce,” he said. “It goes hand in hand. We train, we make people more prepared, we skill, and obviously that gives us better productivity because people are smarter. Don’t work harder, work smarter, that’s the plan.”
He said the labour pool clause meant companies could share existing organised labour during peaks rather than resort to labour hire outside the industry.
As well as the nine companies signed up to the agreement, Mr Scavera said he had written commitments from seven employers willing to be tied to the agreement once it was approved by the Fair Work Commission. He said the agreement would stop rival firms exploiting workers by underpaying them. “For us, it’s a move to improve our industry, to make it a safer, more skilled industry,” he said. “It’s a big leap forward by both sides. Working together means it’s going to improve productivity. There’s no use doing it any other way. It doesn’t work
DEAL GIVES 26PC PAY RISES TO WORKERS
multi-*employer agreement
EWIN HANNANAir-conditioning manufacturers and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union have struck the first private sector multi-*employer agreement delivering 26 per cent in pay rises over four years, guaranteed casual conversion rights after three months, an increased span of working hours and a joint commitment to higher skills and increased productivity.
The landmark agreement covering an initial nine employers employing 200 employees, with written commitments from a further seven firms, includes a groundbreaking labour pool clause that requires employers during peak periods to offer work to employees in the other companies before they can engage external casuals or labour hire.
The annual pay of the workers, who install commercial air-*conditioning systems in NSW and the ACT will increase from $102,000 to $133,000 over the life of the agreement that delivers 6 per cent a year wage rises, com*pounding to 26.2 per cent.
The hourly rate will increase from $47 to $60.69.
Declaring the measures will drive “real gains in efficiency and productivity”, the agreement commits the parties to extend the start of ordinary working hours from 6am to 4am, through to 6pm, with double time paid outside those hours.
A new skills development program designed to build a more highly skilled, versatile and flexible workforce will be implemented and a new Industry Skills Council created within the first 12 months of the agreement.
The in-principle agreement, subject to a final vote of workers due next week, says casual employees who have worked a regular pattern of work for three months must be offered a permanent position, while significantly higher wages will be paid to apprentices to attract and keep them in the industry.
The deal, which follows 18 months of negotiations, reinstates a raft of union rights clauses including delegates rights, paid union meetings across all sites of up to four hours every quarter, 10 days of paid union training leave for delegates annually, a union notice board and meeting room, and a requirement that new employees be introduced to the AMWU as part of their official induction program.
AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy expects many other companies to voluntarily sign up to the agreement but “we might well find there are some employers that have to be roped in against their will because workers just need a decent pay rise”.
Asked about the implications of the agreement for the manufacturing sector, he said “once you start to lift the value of a particular trade, you start to pull other trades up.
“Where construction goes, manufacturing will follow. The reason you do this is to put the correct value on the labour that is being provided,” he said.
“Races to the bottom don’t work. The best way to compete in order to make sure we all enjoy a decent standard of living … is to have quality, safety, training and efficiencies that we establish and work together to find a solution for. That’s exactly what this agreement does. It sets up a different conversation that is not conflict based, to say that we are all stakeholders in this industry and we want it to have secure good jobs in the future. We also want it to be productive and for bosses to make their profits”.
HVAC Manufacturing and Installation Association president Mimmo Scavera said the negotiated agreement contained “some wins, some losses on both sides, and we came up with a happy medium we’re all satisfied with”.
“A better skilled workforce and an organised workforce is always a better productive workforce,” he said. “It goes hand in hand. We train, we make people more prepared, we skill, and obviously that gives us better productivity because people are smarter. Don’t work harder, work smarter, that’s the plan.”
He said the labour pool clause meant companies could share existing organised labour during peaks rather than resort to labour hire outside the industry.
As well as the nine companies signed up to the agreement, Mr Scavera said he had written commitments from seven employers willing to be tied to the agreement once it was approved by the Fair Work Commission. He said the agreement would stop rival firms exploiting workers by underpaying them. “For us, it’s a move to improve our industry, to make it a safer, more skilled industry,” he said. “It’s a big leap forward by both sides. Working together means it’s going to improve productivity. There’s no use doing it any other way. It doesn’t work
The following 2 users liked this post by dragon man:
Compare this to the Qantas groups 9% over 5 years and what is happening to Network pilots.
DEAL GIVES 26PC PAY RISES TO WORKERS
multi-*employer agreement
EWIN HANNANAir-conditioning manufacturers and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union have struck the first private sector multi-*employer agreement delivering 26 per cent in pay rises over four years, guaranteed casual conversion rights after three months, an increased span of working hours and a joint commitment to higher skills and increased productivity.
The landmark agreement covering an initial nine employers employing 200 employees, with written commitments from a further seven firms, includes a groundbreaking labour pool clause that requires employers during peak periods to offer work to employees in the other companies before they can engage external casuals or labour hire.
The annual pay of the workers, who install commercial air-*conditioning systems in NSW and the ACT will increase from $102,000 to $133,000 over the life of the agreement that delivers 6 per cent a year wage rises, com*pounding to 26.2 per cent.
The hourly rate will increase from $47 to $60.69.
Declaring the measures will drive “real gains in efficiency and productivity”, the agreement commits the parties to extend the start of ordinary working hours from 6am to 4am, through to 6pm, with double time paid outside those hours.
A new skills development program designed to build a more highly skilled, versatile and flexible workforce will be implemented and a new Industry Skills Council created within the first 12 months of the agreement.
The in-principle agreement, subject to a final vote of workers due next week, says casual employees who have worked a regular pattern of work for three months must be offered a permanent position, while significantly higher wages will be paid to apprentices to attract and keep them in the industry.
The deal, which follows 18 months of negotiations, reinstates a raft of union rights clauses including delegates rights, paid union meetings across all sites of up to four hours every quarter, 10 days of paid union training leave for delegates annually, a union notice board and meeting room, and a requirement that new employees be introduced to the AMWU as part of their official induction program.
AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy expects many other companies to voluntarily sign up to the agreement but “we might well find there are some employers that have to be roped in against their will because workers just need a decent pay rise”.
Asked about the implications of the agreement for the manufacturing sector, he said “once you start to lift the value of a particular trade, you start to pull other trades up.
“Where construction goes, manufacturing will follow. The reason you do this is to put the correct value on the labour that is being provided,” he said.
“Races to the bottom don’t work. The best way to compete in order to make sure we all enjoy a decent standard of living … is to have quality, safety, training and efficiencies that we establish and work together to find a solution for. That’s exactly what this agreement does. It sets up a different conversation that is not conflict based, to say that we are all stakeholders in this industry and we want it to have secure good jobs in the future. We also want it to be productive and for bosses to make their profits”.
HVAC Manufacturing and Installation Association president Mimmo Scavera said the negotiated agreement contained “some wins, some losses on both sides, and we came up with a happy medium we’re all satisfied with”.
“A better skilled workforce and an organised workforce is always a better productive workforce,” he said. “It goes hand in hand. We train, we make people more prepared, we skill, and obviously that gives us better productivity because people are smarter. Don’t work harder, work smarter, that’s the plan.”
He said the labour pool clause meant companies could share existing organised labour during peaks rather than resort to labour hire outside the industry.
As well as the nine companies signed up to the agreement, Mr Scavera said he had written commitments from seven employers willing to be tied to the agreement once it was approved by the Fair Work Commission. He said the agreement would stop rival firms exploiting workers by underpaying them. “For us, it’s a move to improve our industry, to make it a safer, more skilled industry,” he said. “It’s a big leap forward by both sides. Working together means it’s going to improve productivity. There’s no use doing it any other way. It doesn’t work
DEAL GIVES 26PC PAY RISES TO WORKERS
multi-*employer agreement
EWIN HANNANAir-conditioning manufacturers and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union have struck the first private sector multi-*employer agreement delivering 26 per cent in pay rises over four years, guaranteed casual conversion rights after three months, an increased span of working hours and a joint commitment to higher skills and increased productivity.
The landmark agreement covering an initial nine employers employing 200 employees, with written commitments from a further seven firms, includes a groundbreaking labour pool clause that requires employers during peak periods to offer work to employees in the other companies before they can engage external casuals or labour hire.
The annual pay of the workers, who install commercial air-*conditioning systems in NSW and the ACT will increase from $102,000 to $133,000 over the life of the agreement that delivers 6 per cent a year wage rises, com*pounding to 26.2 per cent.
The hourly rate will increase from $47 to $60.69.
Declaring the measures will drive “real gains in efficiency and productivity”, the agreement commits the parties to extend the start of ordinary working hours from 6am to 4am, through to 6pm, with double time paid outside those hours.
A new skills development program designed to build a more highly skilled, versatile and flexible workforce will be implemented and a new Industry Skills Council created within the first 12 months of the agreement.
The in-principle agreement, subject to a final vote of workers due next week, says casual employees who have worked a regular pattern of work for three months must be offered a permanent position, while significantly higher wages will be paid to apprentices to attract and keep them in the industry.
The deal, which follows 18 months of negotiations, reinstates a raft of union rights clauses including delegates rights, paid union meetings across all sites of up to four hours every quarter, 10 days of paid union training leave for delegates annually, a union notice board and meeting room, and a requirement that new employees be introduced to the AMWU as part of their official induction program.
AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy expects many other companies to voluntarily sign up to the agreement but “we might well find there are some employers that have to be roped in against their will because workers just need a decent pay rise”.
Asked about the implications of the agreement for the manufacturing sector, he said “once you start to lift the value of a particular trade, you start to pull other trades up.
“Where construction goes, manufacturing will follow. The reason you do this is to put the correct value on the labour that is being provided,” he said.
“Races to the bottom don’t work. The best way to compete in order to make sure we all enjoy a decent standard of living … is to have quality, safety, training and efficiencies that we establish and work together to find a solution for. That’s exactly what this agreement does. It sets up a different conversation that is not conflict based, to say that we are all stakeholders in this industry and we want it to have secure good jobs in the future. We also want it to be productive and for bosses to make their profits”.
HVAC Manufacturing and Installation Association president Mimmo Scavera said the negotiated agreement contained “some wins, some losses on both sides, and we came up with a happy medium we’re all satisfied with”.
“A better skilled workforce and an organised workforce is always a better productive workforce,” he said. “It goes hand in hand. We train, we make people more prepared, we skill, and obviously that gives us better productivity because people are smarter. Don’t work harder, work smarter, that’s the plan.”
He said the labour pool clause meant companies could share existing organised labour during peaks rather than resort to labour hire outside the industry.
As well as the nine companies signed up to the agreement, Mr Scavera said he had written commitments from seven employers willing to be tied to the agreement once it was approved by the Fair Work Commission. He said the agreement would stop rival firms exploiting workers by underpaying them. “For us, it’s a move to improve our industry, to make it a safer, more skilled industry,” he said. “It’s a big leap forward by both sides. Working together means it’s going to improve productivity. There’s no use doing it any other way. It doesn’t work
LH, SH and virgin next.
Don’t be manipulated and lied to yet again. Games are over.
AIPA- Please join the fight before you force me to leave.
The following 5 users liked this post by Gas Chamber:
Before we all get too carried away and angry about those sort of pay levels it’s worth remembering that qualified trades in this country are literally Koala Bears politically. Both sides of politics protect them from any sort of labour competition that is why there is a skills shortage and they are now looking at pay levels 2-3x minimum wage. Neither the Libs or Labor will allow any sort of skill migration for skilled labour and that is why construction costs are astronomical and Unionised Labor are getting these sort of deals. No other country in the world would allow that to happen except in Australia.
The issue this generates is that it destroys the incentive for any sort of educated job. Why would you go to Uni, incurring decent amount of debt when you get paid management level incomes to work a trade? Or worst still spend 150k to be a pilot to earn minimum wage type of salaries. Honestly what’s the point? It’s even worse when you look at how this affects qualified white collar jobs in the building industry.
The issue this generates is that it destroys the incentive for any sort of educated job. Why would you go to Uni, incurring decent amount of debt when you get paid management level incomes to work a trade? Or worst still spend 150k to be a pilot to earn minimum wage type of salaries. Honestly what’s the point? It’s even worse when you look at how this affects qualified white collar jobs in the building industry.
The following 6 users liked this post by neville_nobody:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visa...ccupation-list plenty of immigration for the untouchables you suggest.
Perhaps the reason its hard to get a tradesman to do a job for a 'reasonable' price is because an entire generation of millenials were convinced they had to 'go get educated' at a university to get a good job.
What is 'reasonable' anyway when the average rental costs per annum for a house would eat up almost half of what the air conditioning installers are getting paid, your implication of too much ?
Should Australia do an UAE and import millions of workers from 3rd world countries to live in shanty towns on the fringes and do the lower caste roles in society that involve going outside and using your hands - whilst the educated class yuck it up after a hard day of posting your day in the life videos to tiktok ?
If you're not being paid enough go do something else that does, like installing commercial air conditoners or being a heavy diesel mechanic, you know, overpaid, uneducated easy work.
Perhaps the reason its hard to get a tradesman to do a job for a 'reasonable' price is because an entire generation of millenials were convinced they had to 'go get educated' at a university to get a good job.
What is 'reasonable' anyway when the average rental costs per annum for a house would eat up almost half of what the air conditioning installers are getting paid, your implication of too much ?
Should Australia do an UAE and import millions of workers from 3rd world countries to live in shanty towns on the fringes and do the lower caste roles in society that involve going outside and using your hands - whilst the educated class yuck it up after a hard day of posting your day in the life videos to tiktok ?
If you're not being paid enough go do something else that does, like installing commercial air conditoners or being a heavy diesel mechanic, you know, overpaid, uneducated easy work.
Before we all get too carried away and angry about those sort of pay levels it’s worth remembering that qualified trades in this country are literally Koala Bears politically. Both sides of politics protect them from any sort of labour competition that is why there is a skills shortage and they are now looking at pay levels 2-3x minimum wage. Neither the Libs or Labor will allow any sort of skill migration for skilled labour and that is why construction costs are astronomical and Unionised Labor are getting these sort of deals. No other country in the world would allow that to happen except in Australia.
The issue this generates is that it destroys the incentive for any sort of educated job. Why would you go to Uni, incurring decent amount of debt when you get paid management level incomes to work a trade? Or worst still spend 150k to be a pilot to earn minimum wage type of salaries. Honestly what’s the point? It’s even worse when you look at how this affects qualified white collar jobs in the building industry.
The issue this generates is that it destroys the incentive for any sort of educated job. Why would you go to Uni, incurring decent amount of debt when you get paid management level incomes to work a trade? Or worst still spend 150k to be a pilot to earn minimum wage type of salaries. Honestly what’s the point? It’s even worse when you look at how this affects qualified white collar jobs in the building industry.
As a former tradesman, I can assure you that tradies earning over 150k+ is very rare, except in the mines.
many will yell but $120 an hour for a sparkie, well by the time you add in insurances, advertising, vehicle, tools, registration, tax, super, etc etc... you most certainly arent seeing $120 an hour. Another issue for sparkies and plumbers is say they spend $150 a day advertising, they might only get 2 calls and they might only get 1 job. It may only take 15mins but they need to still operate their business, hence the huge hourly rate or call out fee. Now go talk to a sparkie working for a large firm that contracts out to builders, they would be lucky to see $45 an hour. As for chippies, plasterers, painters etc... private work will range from $60 to $90 per hour, but if they contract to a large builder they are on about $50 an hour for consistent work. But I will agree there are some loaded tradies, but it isnt the norm.
Also there is no skills shortage in the building industry, never has been, never will be. It is a shortage of people willing to earn peanuts. I went fifo and gave away construction to fund my flight training. It didnt matter how desperate builders were they could never offer me a reasonabke wage. Hell I had a builder from way back, call me up in Decemeber asking if I would work for him again on an abn for $35 an hour... so no there is no skills shortage, and as for importing tradesman if you can call them that. You would be horrified at the quality of work they produce.
The following 4 users liked this post by Zeta_Reticuli:
Why would you go to Uni, incurring decent amount of debt when you get paid management level incomes to work a trade? Or worst still spend 150k to be a pilot to earn minimum wage type of salaries.
Tradies make pretty good money but they crawl around in a roof space at forty degrees and work many spaces that are unpleasant. The BIG issue is aging. A white collar worker can sit at their desk to aged 65 quite easily. A tradie loses the ability to crawl around in small space by their fifties. So unless they have set up a business employing young turks to do the grunt work they are in a world of pain, literally and figuratively. Tradies also go out in all weather. We grumble at a five minute walk around in the wet.
Which pilots are on "minimum wage type salaries"? Really come on. $882.80 is the minimum wage based on a 38 hour week. That is $45,905 pa. Please post a link or other evidence that there is a pilot in Australia earning that little having spent $150k on licence and ratings.
I am all for increased wages and more importantly, better conditions but be realistic about what others do.
The following users liked this post:
Allow me to answer and perhaps bring you down to reality.
Tradies make pretty good money but they crawl around in a roof space at forty degrees and work many spaces that are unpleasant. The BIG issue is aging. A white collar worker can sit at their desk to aged 65 quite easily. A tradie loses the ability to crawl around in small space by their fifties. So unless they have set up a business employing young turks to do the grunt work they are in a world of pain, literally and figuratively. Tradies also go out in all weather. We grumble at a five minute walk around in the wet.
Which pilots are on "minimum wage type salaries"? Really come on. $882.80 is the minimum wage based on a 38 hour week. That is $45,905 pa. Please post a link or other evidence that there is a pilot in Australia earing that little having spent $150k on licences.
I am all for increased wages and more importantly, better conditions but be realistic about what others do.
Tradies make pretty good money but they crawl around in a roof space at forty degrees and work many spaces that are unpleasant. The BIG issue is aging. A white collar worker can sit at their desk to aged 65 quite easily. A tradie loses the ability to crawl around in small space by their fifties. So unless they have set up a business employing young turks to do the grunt work they are in a world of pain, literally and figuratively. Tradies also go out in all weather. We grumble at a five minute walk around in the wet.
Which pilots are on "minimum wage type salaries"? Really come on. $882.80 is the minimum wage based on a 38 hour week. That is $45,905 pa. Please post a link or other evidence that there is a pilot in Australia earing that little having spent $150k on licences.
I am all for increased wages and more importantly, better conditions but be realistic about what others do.
Yep at 31 years old, I can barely walk some mornings... back, hips, knees and shoulders stuffed from being a chippy.
But on another note, Airline wages especially what Network is paying, is an utter disgrace.
The following users liked this post: