Air France and Joon pilot union negotiate after successful Mutual Assistance plea
The Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne, SNPL (France ALPA) have thanked all IFALPA Member Associations for the assistance given as it was finally able to cancel its Mutual Assistance in mid-January.
“Unarguably, said Jack Netskar, IFALPA’s Executive Vice President of Professional and Government Affairs, “the fall back of Air France Management was achieved thanks to the solidarity and support of the entire air line pilot community.
In early January, a Mutual Assistance request was made on behalf of Air France and Joon pilots when it was reported that an Air France Captain was relieved from command during flight preparation because he took a decision based on safety reasons and in full compliance with the company’s Operations Manual, but potentially leading to the cancelation of a flight.
The union said that, by doing so, Air France management “clearly undermin(ed) every Captain’s authority and their ability to perform their safety duties without fear of management retaliation.”
“Air France pilots cannot tolerate this turn in the company’s philosophy where operational decisions are solely based on economics and SNPL demands that Air France management recognizes (sic) this breach and updates the Operations Manual accordingly in order to reflect that, except for justified and proven safety reasons, the Captain is always the sole authority on board the aircraft. “
An industrial action in form of a strike was planned to take place on, 11 January 2018 but, by January 8 this action was averted due to negotiations with Air France management whereby agreement was given to answer SNPL’s demands.
Update on Mutual Assistance for Hong Kong ALPA
As highlighted in this issue’s international news, the dispute between Cathay Pacific Airways and the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (HKAOA) continues. Through its representation by Hong Kong Airline Pilots Association (HKALPA), the Association has requested that IFALPA extend the Mutual Assistance until 14 February, 2018.
No agreement with the management of Cathay Pacific has been reached. Therefore, contract compliance and the training ban remain in place.
To date, no additional negotiations are scheduled. At the end of 2017, the existing housing allowance agreement was terminated and replaced with a housing policy that essentially mimics the agreement. This, along with the need for improved allowances for locally employed pilots, remain priorities as well as pay and rostering. The last pay raise for the HKAOA pilots was in May 2015 and rostering continues to be administered as a company policy that is unilaterally amendable by management. The Rostering Practices Agreement was cancelled by management in June 2015.
IFALPA Remote Pilot Working Group
Due to the proliferation of RPAS technology and its applications worldwide, the IFALPA Professional and Government Affairs Committee (PGA) announced its formal recognition of the evolution of a new stream of aviation professionals increasingly involved in traditional commercial aviation roles.
In light of this, and to guide future developments and options for engagement, the PGA Committee at its recent Annual Committee Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, established a Remote Pilot Working Group. Its purpose is to make recommendations on the present and future strategic engagement between IFALPA and its Members Associations and professional RPAS pilots and/or operators.
At the Istanbul Meeting, the PGA Committee tasked the working group to present a preliminary report by the time of the next IFALPA Annual Conference in Luxembourg in March 2018.
The Committee recommended that, as this work progresses, Member Associations actively engage with professional RPAS pilots and/or operators.