Your negotiating team will next meet with Malaysia Airlines management on Thursday 2 May 2013 for further negotiations on the wage increases for the next Agreement. Also on the agenda will be the bargaining team's response to the consolidation of the current Agreement with the Overseas Airlines Award into a comprehensive Enterprise Agreement.
The ASU's claim for increases to wages includes a fixed $400 increase to staff rated PMS 3-5. This was discussed at the last meeting, and while management's claim is for a fixed $100 increase, (this is the major difference between us) your bargaining team left that meeting with the clear understanding that all staff rated PMS 3-5 would receive the cash amount plus the percentage increase. At the meeting on the 16th April management stated that staff whose salary has reached or exceeded the maximum salary scale for the position will not receive the cash amount. Your negotiating team believe that this is a change in the management position from the prior meeting. Your negotiating team regret the difficulty this will create for on-going bargaining.
Other matters that we have yet to reach agreement on include:
- retired staff access to staff travel;
- reimbursement of credit card surcharges;
- the right to nominate who will be the buddy traveller;
- staff able to access long service leave at ½ pay,
- shift penalty for employees whose salary exceeds the Band D calculated at the maximum of the Band D salary range,
- duty travel upgrade in line with OneWorld policies on duty travel; and
- car allowance – extend maximum mileage to 1200kms backdated to September 2012.
Your ASU negotiating team has so far won:
- a discounted rate for staff on duty travel insurance cover;
- an increase to the car allowance rate of 74c/km (and updated consistent with ATO guidelines), with a maximum allowable rate of $750 per month effective from 1 January 2013;
- able to access long service leave for periods of less than two weeks; and
- confirmation that compassionate leave can be accessed in cases where immediate in-laws are incapacitated or die.
Where to next?
The next meeting is set for Thursday 2 May 2013. Please contact your local delegate or ASU Organiser if you have any queries on these issues, including the proposed new pay rates and the dollar amount increases for employees who have reached or exceeded their maximum salary scale. Even if you are not currently at your maximum salary scale the Agreement operates for three years and you could well reach the top of your pay scale before the Agreement expires. Download PDF Bulletin here 
malaysia-bulletin130430.pdf