A Jetstar pilot says the $24 million salary Qantas boss Alan Joyce is paid makes his ‘blood boil’.
The budget airline’s pilots have been locked in a pay dispute with management due to an enterprise bargaining agreement that expired in April.
The flight captain, who wanted to remain anonymous due to contractual agreements with the airline, said he felt he had to speak out after Joyce’s ‘staggering’ salary was recently revealed.
A Jetstar pilot says the $24 million salary of Qantas boss Alan Joyce (pictured at Qantas head office Sydney) makes his ‘blood boil’
The Jetstar pilot says there are a lot of unhappy workers in the organisation due to management’s tactic of wage freezes
He said there were a lot of unhappy workers in the organisation due to management’s wage freezes.
‘Knowing what I’ve endured over the last 10 years at Jetstar and you see Alan Joyce walking away with $24 million, it makes my blood boil,’ the captain told news.com.au.
The airline has regularly met with the pilots’ union since April trying to sort out the pay dispute.
The pilot, who regularly works international routes, said that the three per cent wage increase limit amounted to a reduction in pilots salaries due to the speed of modern airlines.
‘The Dreamliner is 4 per cent quicker than the Airbus it replaced, it’s a very fast aircraft. We got a 3 per cent pay rise on an aircraft that flies 4 per cent quicker and we get paid by the flight hour, so it was actually a pay cut,’ the captain said.
A Jetstar spokesperson told the publication pilots have access to performance bonuses on top of their annual three per cent salary increase.
‘Since January, we’ve been in regular and constructive conversations with bargaining representatives about a new enterprise agreement. There are a number of complex areas to discuss and working through them takes time, but we are committed to do so and optimistic that we will reach an agreement,’ the spokesperson said.
The captain said the quality of the meals was a big area of contention among pilots.
The airline responded by saying the meals were designed by qualified dietitians and feedback from the pilots was taken on board.
Jetstar pilots who fly long haul international flights are paid between $82,000 and $228,000 as a base wage, according to the publication, with the flight captains paid at the higher end of the scale.
Reserve Bank of Australia chief Philip Lowe recently said the massive wage gaps between workers and executives was concerning.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jetstar for comment.
Jetstar is a subsidiary of Qantas with both airlines run by the same high level management (stock image)