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Air traffic control staff have given the thumbs-up to a new enterprise agreement.
Civil Air union members voted in favour of the EA, which was agreed on in-principle last month and will include an 11.2 per cent pay rise over three years, with all notified protected industrial actions now cancelled following the ballot.
Along with the pay rise, air traffic controllers will receive an $8000 signing bonus, which can be taken as payment or put in superannuation, and a multi-location allowance which Airservices Australia says will increase operational resilience.
In addition, the classification structure will be overhauled with a “focus on acquiring and maintaining qualifications and currency to ensure operational readiness”, and training will be beefed up with better recognition for on-the-job training instructors and an increase in the Ab Initio Trainee rate from commencement of employment.
Peter Curran, acting CEO of Airservices Australia, said the new agreement would give ATC staff certainty about pay and benefits moving forward.
“My thanks go to everyone who has participated in this process as the voices and input of our people have been instrumental in achieving this positive result,” he said.
“This agreement will enable us to build operational resilience so we can provide the best possible service for Australia’s aviation industry and the travelling public.”
Air traffic controllers had threatened industrial action earlier this year, filing a protected action ballot with the Fair Work Commission in April. Civil Air’s Peter McGuane told The Australian in March that a “deadlock” in enterprise negotiations had yet to be broken despite 14 meetings with management since November.
In a statement in April, Civil Air said the industrial action ballot was not simply in the pursuit of higher wages, saying staffing levels were “critically low”, the culture at Airservices was “toxic and not improving”, and Airservices was pursuing an “over-ambitious change program”.
Curran said last month that the new deal was reached after “extensive good-faith negotiations” with Civil Air, which represents most ATCs and supports air traffic services employees, as well as individual bargaining representatives.
“We’ve been at the bargaining table since November to achieve an outcome that is fair and reasonable for the employees who manage our airspace,” he said.
The union has been contacted for comment.
