I’m proud to be a Qantas pilot – but it appears hell-bent on cutting costs and auctioning jobs to the lowest bidder

theguardian.com:

Qantas pilots are a passionate bunch. We are passionate about our airline. We are passionate about its history. And we are passionate about its legacy and the role we play in it.

We go to work every day with passenger safety foremost in our minds. It is our primary focus and the single issue that occupies our energy and passion. Safety before schedule is our mantra.

As we emerge from the pandemic, the operational challenges are significant. Many of the issues facing the industry have been well documented (and experienced by thousands of people), with long lines for security, delayed flights, mis-handled baggage and lack of catering now everyday occurrences.

Each of these issues can be part of a “normal” day for pilots, but as travel demand grows, our crews are now facing them on multiple fronts in a day, multiple days in a week, week after week. It is a unique challenge.

Despite these challenges and complexities, while on-time performance might be closer to 60%, our pilots ensure that 100% of flights arrive safely.

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There’s no doubt that the airline’s safety record is underpinned by the skill, professionalism and experience of its pilots. But as we strive to hold together the operation in the face of these challenges, it’s frustrating and baffling to find our livelihoods continuously threatened by a relentlessly aggressive industrial strategy focused on profit.

Qantas pilots are no longer regarded as assets, instead we are viewed as “cost centres” – with various Qantas pilot cohorts pitted against each other in an industrial take on The Hunger Games.

In 2020, Qantas pilots were threatened that if they didn’t vote for the demanded working