Qantas moved yesterday to resolve the dispute with its 1,650 long haul pilots, calling them to a conciliation talks with Fair Work Australia.
Qantas said in a statement, “despite 12 months of negotiations and 35 meetings with the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) a new enterprise bargaining agreement has still not been reachedâ€.
Qantas is claiming that the union’s claim would cost the airline in excess of $150 million over four years. “This includes pay increases and free flights on top of already heavily discounted travel,†the Qantas statement said.
Qantas said its pilots are amongst the highest paid in the world and their pay and conditions are around 50 percent higher than Virgin long-haul pilots.
Virgin Australia pilots last week reached an enterprise agreement that provides for pay rises of up to 28%.
The Qantas pilot union AIPA has insisted that Qantas aircraft should always be flown by Australian based and trained flight crew.
AIPA President Captain Barry Jackson said, “Qantas is a brand with an enormous future in this country. It needs a leadership that recognises that and is capable of working constructively with pilots, engineers and other Qantas staff to build on its hard-earned reputation.
“Enormous damage is being done to the cherished Qantas brand through talking down its achievements and deliberately antagonising its workforce.â€
