AIPA was correct on that one. They reckoned it needed to be higher to get 100 applicants for VR. Qantas only received about 52 applications for that one. They still seemed happy with the outcome though. I suspect they’ll be happy with this one too whether the number is 100 or 200.

Those over 63.5 will get an offer soon I suspect. An ‘early retirement’ is taxed slightly differently to VR but still better than marginal tax rates- the ATO guidance on this is appalling! Even if the offer was for the leave they accrue between now and 65 and bundled in with their accrued leave (if they have any) they’re still likely to be better off than remaining on stand down between now and 65th birthday.

So, if you take the 12 month LWOP to avoid being made redundant, what happens if after the 12 months you come back, intl is still dead in the water, and the company a month later makes you redundant “due to new review on impact of the virus” or whatever.. How long does the ‘amnesty’ on redundancy for those who take the LWOP option legally last? Anything other than a legal clarification surely wouldn’t be acceptable to opt into it?

Then you get made redundant when you come back from LWOP.

I hope the company is prepared for the onslaught of LWOP applications they are about to receive!

What is the benefit of taking LWOP? Why not just stay stood down and accrue leave and get JK?

For the “super junior” in either LH or SH, taking LWOP will protect you from being made redundant. i think the way they have set this up is smart (from the company’s side). They will surely get hundreds of the senior guys to take VR, while at the same time, scaring juniour blokes into taking LWOP to try and not be made compulsorily redundant.

JK will not last forever KZK. If it’s extended, probably only another 3-6 months. After that standown is standown, ie, no useful work no pay. Bit different here than ENZED I believe. You could be stood-down for three years with no pay, but you will retain your spot in the list and accrue benefits such as annual, long service and personal leave. Still have the curly one of exactly how long can you be stood down.........3 months, 6 months......3 years!!!!! Surely someone would challenge it if it just goes on and on.

Genuine question people........how does the amnesty clause fit in with your EA??

why would a junior SH pilot be made redundant? QF have stated there is no forecast surplus in SH....what am I missing?

Don't know surfer dude. I think the jury is still out on what happens in seniority when we get to a CR. Not tying to be alarmist, but have they said that they will not use the seniority list for CR? What does a "forecast surplus" mean with regard to CR?

Ah ok. In a webinair it was touched on, but QF consider LH and SH completely separate for redundancy. The integration agreement just says ‘new hire’ pilots go first in accordance with the Pilots Agreement (ie where the surplus is). I haven’t read the A/Q stuff in great detail but I believe the ‘Y’ starts somewhere around seniority 600....if it gets that far I’d say it’s game over anyway! Of course, I’d expect this to be challenged.

hopefully we never have to find out.

You have less than 4 weeks to be on LWOP to avoid inclusion in a potential CR:
The win for the company is you no longer accrue leave. I’m still unsure if you can get jobkeeper when on LWOP.

Good luck out there...

Are you guys (and girls) saying that:

If you are on LWOP, you can not be made redundant?


Upon your return you might be made redundant.... but then you’d just extend your LWOP wouldn’t you?

I imagine your LWOP extension would have to be approved.

From our email:

To provide you with further clarity regarding the LWOP offering, I can confirm that we will exercise our discretion to pass over any pilot on LWOP should it become necessary to enact a CR program, subject to the following conditions:

• LWOP application must be submitted on or after 31 March 2020;
• LWOP to commence no later than 7 August 2020;
• LWOP application is for a period greater than 12 months; and
• The pilot is on this period of LWOP at the time that CRs are notified.

Yes. The intention presumably is to get Junior folk to go on LWOP indefinitely (obviously the longer the better to avoid the possibility of coming off LWOP just to be made redundant on your return) until there is work for them, which stops the accrual of leave entitlements and I'd suspect simplifies to operation. How much is 6 weeks of leave a year worth, compared to the possibility of CR? I don't know. The 7th of August is the same day the VR applications close, so we won't know how many have taken it when we are supposed to already be on LWOP to avoid CR. You have to admit, it's industrially brilliant.
Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

Is that a company email? I haven’t seen it

Yes, from base operations yesterday morning.

The company wants people to stop accruing leave entitlements by forcing us on LWOP. Don't do it and you run the risk of a CR notice landing in your inbox.

This isn't just targeted at the junior crew for what its worth. If the bottom 400 recently hired SO's all take LWOP (and you would be stupid not to take it), guess who they are coming after next.

Its a threat to everyone. Want a future at Qantas? You have 4 weeks to take LWOP.

Jamie, don't misinterpret my calling out the corruption of senior QF management as "being unhappy" - I have thoroughly enjoyed my career and feel privileged to have been selected quite a few years ago.

You don't have to be a naive "yes" man to enjoy your career.

Yep, the more people take LWOP, the higher up the ladder the crocodile can climb. All depending on how many stay comfortably on the top. A number we won't know until it's conceivably too late. Fark.

But the more LWOP taken, the fewer redundancies required.

LWOP is cheap, CR is expensive.