It appears that discussions between Virgin Blur pilots and what CEO Brett Godfrey describes as a “new world” carrier have reached an impasse with 565 Virgin Blue pilots considering calling their first ever strike over failed negotiations regarding pay and working hours.
Although talks with the airline’s managers are set to recommence this week 87% of the airline’s pilots have already rejected an offer by Virgin Blue to increase annual salaries to $156,000, dependant on the condition that productivity is improved.
Talks between Virgin Blue pilots’ union, the Australian Federation of Air Pilots and management have gone on for two years without achieving a result, with pilots demanding previous productivity be recognised in any new pay deal with the airline.
On the other side of the negotiation fence, Virgin Blue apparently is demanding a significant increase in the flying hours for pilots, with an increase from 787 hours to 850 hours a year for pilots to win the salary increases.
The airline is proposing that the pilots’ pay would increase to a maximum of $168,000, with $184 an hour for overtime worked once pilots pass the 787 hour threshold.
This is not a good time for this issue to come to a head at Virgin, with the impression created by managers that relationships with staff are excellent and everyone part of one big happy family. This an especially difficult time with Virgin Blue launching its new international service and recruiting 150 pilots, although it is anticipated, along with sister carriers Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue, whose pilots are believed to receive less than Virgin Blue pilots, that the international pilots will be on very different award agreements to Virgin Blue.
With scenarios of this kind having crippled Australian aviation and airlines in the past in Australia, it appears that about 80% of the Virgin crews are members of the AFAP, which represented pilots in the 1989 pilots dispute with former Australian Airlines and now bankrupt Ansett Australia.
Report by The Mole
