Qantas stoush with captains over carparks a warm-up for long haul pilots’ pay deal battle
A decades-old parking perk for Qantas captains is at the centre of a Fair Work Commission conflict amid rising tensions over a new long haul pilots agreement.
A dispute over “captains’ carparks” at Qantas has been elevated to the Fair Work Commission, after it was alleged the airline reneged on a deal that had been part of pilot agreements since the 1970s.
A380 captain Murray Butt filed the claim on behalf of all Sydney-based captains, after Qantas changed carparking arrangements for employees based at Mascot adjacent to Sydney Airport in July 2024.
The conflict comes as negotiations for a new long haul pilots’ agreement creates further unrest among the pilot cohort due to a proposed reduction in access to first class seats, a more complex pay structure and a two-year wage freeze.
Captain Butt argued long-term carparking had been exclusively available to Qantas captains for duty and leisure travel but they now had to compete with other staff for a space some distance away.
He initiated a formal grievance but Qantas claimed there was no avenue for car park complaints within the scope of the long-haul pilots agreement.
The conflict is now in the hands of the Fair Work Commission which has allowed the Australian and International Pilots Association to intervene, on the grounds the union represents 90 per cent of employees covered by the agreement.
Captain Butt headed AIPA from 2016 to 2018 and again in 2021 but is represented in this matter by the rival Australian Federation of Air Pilots.
He did not oppose AIPA’s intervention application, however, Qantas claimed the union’s involvement would inflame the dispute and said the commission did not have the power to permit the intervention.
Commissioner Phillip Ryan found it was a matter of procedural fairness that AIPA be given an opportunity to be heard.
“It is stating the obvious to say that members of AIPA will be impacted by the outcome of the arbitration,” said Commissioner Ryan.
“Furthermore, AIPA contends it has historical knowledge regarding the negotiation of the terms of the agreement, and the carparking arrangements at Mascot.”
The matter is expected to return to the Fair Work Commission in November.
It comes as Qantas plays hardball with pilots over a new long-haul agreement, with several major changes proposed, including a reduction in first class travel.
Qantas also wants to impose a two-year wage freeze on pilots and a complex new pay structure that recognises time in particular ranks rather than years of service.
The airline justifies the wage freeze on the basis all new agreements negotiated since the pandemic have included a period of no pay rises.
In the case of long-haul pilots, many of whom were stood down without pay during the Covid crisis, it will mean Qantas avoids back pay for any wage increases in the new deal.
Over the life of the agreement “significant double-digit pay increases are on offer”, a Qantas spokesman said.
In an unusual move, Qantas has communicated its proposals to pilots directly which unions said was designed to bypass the bargaining process and lower expectations.
The spokesman said it was important “both unions and the business continue to engage with pilots throughout this process”.
“We’re committed to reaching an agreement with our long haul pilots that includes pay rises and ensure the long-term sustainability of our international business as it enters a period of significant growth,” said the spokesman.
AFAP senior legal and industrial officer Patrick Larkins saw it differently, saying the move was an attempt to pressure pilots.
“This is not a gesture of transparency - it is a tactic designed to bypass the bargaining
table and push through the company’s preferred outcome,” Mr Larkins said.
“Our members deserve a fair deal that recognises their contribution to Qantas’ ongoing,
record profits. The AFAP has tabled reasonable proposals that balance productivity
improvements with genuine benefits for pilots, but Qantas has chosen to ignore them.”
The Qantas spokesman said eight new agreements had been reached with various work groups in the last financial year, most recently with aircraft maintenance engineers.
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