Regional Express pilots to hold unprecedented industrial action

Passengers flying in and out of regional airports in NSW may be stopped in their tracks with Regional Express pilots voting to stage industrial action from June 28. Find out more.

Regional Express Airline pilots have voted to take industrial action from Tuesday, June 28, as pay negotiations with their employer stall.

An overwhelming majority - 95 per cent - voted in favour of the protected industrial action after a ballot was undertaken.

The ballot of more than 250 pilots (of around 280 in the total pilot group) flying the Saab 340 fleet ran from June 15 to midday on June 22.

They voted on taking a number of actions, including a tankering ban - which means pilots will adopt a ban on loading extra fuel prior to flights, where the primary purpose for loading the extra fuel is to negate the need to refuel at the destination airport.

Pilots also voted to not wear some or all of the uniform, and wearing non-uniform items, as part of the action as well as potential work stoppages of up to four hours at a time.

An Australian Federation of Air Pilots said on Wednesday the union members had voted to take the action after four years of failed negotiations for the current enterprise agreement.

 The union spokeswoman said in a statement: “Regional Express (Rex) pilots have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking protected industrial action (PIA) in a week-long ballot that closed at noon (Wednesday).

“More than 90 per cent of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) Rex Saab pilot members voted to approve the taking of a range of eight legally protected industrial actions that include a number of work bans and, potentially, work stoppages of up to four hours each.

“The AFAP has this afternoon notified the company that AFAP members at Rex will start protected industrial action with three initial work actions effective from Tuesday 28 June.

A Rex (Regional Express) aircraft landing at Sydney Airport. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

“Unfortunately, Rex pilots have been attempting to negotiate a new Enterprise Agreement since early-2018 (ahead of the 30 June 2018 expiry of the Regional Express Pilots’ Enterprise Agreement 2014).”

The spokeswoman said the AFAP remained committed to reaching an agreement and was disappointed they had had to take industrial action.

Rex services in the Riverina include Wagga Wagga and Griffith airports, with over 150 flights per week in and out of both cities per week.

Other parts of NSW serviced by Rex include including Dubbo, Merimbula, Newcastle, Broken Hill and Albury.

Rex Airlines was contacted to comment on the vote decision but did not respond in time of publication.