© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A ground worker walking near a Qantas plane is seen from the international terminal at Sydney Airport, as countries react to the new coronavirus Omicron variant amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Sydney, Australia, November 2
(Reuters) -Pilots at Network Aviation, a unit of Qantas Airways, voted in favour of taking protected industrial actions that might potentially include bans on flying, the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) said on Tuesday.
Three pilot groups including, Network Aviation pilots, have been negotiating with Qantas management over wage policy revisions.
More than 99.5% of AFAP pilot members at aircraft charter company Network Aviation voted in a ballot late Monday to approve a number of legally protected industrial actions which include work bans and potential stoppages.
Discussions are currently underway over a range of actions while the pilots are set to meet on Wednesday, the AFAP told Reuters in a statement.
“No action has yet been scheduled,” the AFAP told Reuters adding that notice will need to be given to Network Aviation management in advance of taking any particular action.
Qantas did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Network Aviation pilot group has been in talks with the flag carrier to replace the existing enterprise agreement which was signed in 2016 and expired on Oct. 31, 2020.
The AFAP also flagged the potential industrial action might impact certain charter flight operations to large mines and oil gas projects in Western Australia.
Network Aviation operates more than 300 flights a week, with regular services from Perth Airport to destinations throughout Western Australia, according to its website.