Byron-based skydiving instructors went on strike last Friday, which continued into Saturday, joining seven other strike sites across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.
Skydivers told The Echo that Experience Co, who has bought up multiple skydiving operations up and down the east coast of Australia, are trying to turn them into ‘gig workers’ by cutting their base wages and offering a very low ‘per jump’ piece-rate.
First-ever enterprise agreement
The unprecedented action follows nearly ten months of stalled negotiations for a first-ever enterprise agreement, talks which workers say have revealed a company willing to trade away the industry’s reputation for profit.
‘Despite delivering its strongest financial results since FY19, Experience Co has repeatedly pushed wage proposals that would send employees backwards,’ said skydivers in a press release.
‘Despite the company posting more than $3 million in profit in 2024, our members have not received a pay rise in more than 20 years. They carried the company, to turn from a small operation to a ASX-quoted corporation, the reward from management for that has been a worsening of their advantages and the last blow: a pay cut!’ said Darren Halloran, from the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU).
‘Some offers have included cuts of between -$20,000 and -$100,000 a year, while the latest proposal would slash the minimum annual wage for skydiving instructors from $57,000 to just $49,000, with earnings dependent on a very low “per jump” piece-rate.’
The AWU says these cuts are not only disrespectful to workers but they undermine the safety of every customer who straps into a tandem harness.
‘For the first time in history, skydivers are getting together and say enough!’ Byron skydiver Benoit Foulon told The Echo.
Mr Foulon has been skydiving for 20 years, has been an instructor for 15 years, and has done 12,000 jumps. He has jumped in many parts of the world but most of them have been in Byron Bay where he decided to settle ten years ago.
‘Two years ago Experience Co said they want to put skydivers into a deficit during the winter, when there’s not as much work, and that skydivers would have to pay that deficit off in the summer, when the times are good. We calculated that workers would probably lose out by about $30,000 per year as a result,’ explained Jonathan Cook, who is the AWU national organiser.
Working for better worker outcomes
The skydivers got together and joined the AWU and sought an enterprise agreement.
‘These workers came to us. It’s very unusual for workers to come to a union and say: “We’re organised we’re ready to go, we want to get your help to negotiate”,’ an AWU representative told The Echo.
‘The company said ‘no’. So we did a majority support determination, which the company fought at the Fair Work Commission. That was resolved on 21 December last year and since February this year, we’ve been negotiating the first-ever enterprise agreement. However, we’re still quite far apart,’ Mr Cook told The Echo.
‘Experience Co has around 1,000 employees nationally with 137 skydivers across some of Australia’s most iconic tourism destinations. Many of these instructors have completed thousands of jumps and undergone extensive safety training, yet despite the industry’s growth, most have seen little to no base wage increases in decades.
‘Tandem skydiving instructors literally take people’s lives in their hands every time they go to work,’ he said.
‘AWU members voted 100 per cent in favour of protected industrial action, sending an unmistakable message: they will not accept a deal that cuts wages and jeopardises safety.
‘Our members love what they do, but passion doesn’t pay rent,’ Mr Cook said.
New offer
‘Following 48 hours of stop work, Experience Co tabled a new offer on Sunday night with significant progress/concessions. As such the Union has, on Monday morning, withdrawn its notice of further industrial action this week in an attempt to negotiate a deal that both sides can endorse. The company and the Union met on Monday afternoon and the Union has now tabled a further counter proposal with additional concessions.’
A spokesperson for Skydive Australia and Experience Co told The Echo that, ‘Skydive Australia yesterday introduced a new enterprise agreement offer that will increase employees’ base salaries and enhance their commission structure. The conditions attached to this offer will place our employees ahead of their peers in an industry which mostly depends on contract labour.
‘We are proud to offer industry-leading pay and job security to attract the best skydivers who share our absolute focus on safety. Skydive Australia goes above and beyond industry safety standards, investing several million dollars per year on preventive maintenance across our aviation and Skydive equipment resources.
‘We thank the AWU for withdrawing industrial action and returning to the negotiating table. We hope we can continue bargaining, without the disruption of industrial action, so we can secure a swift outcome for employees which delivers certainty and wage increases’
Mr Cook reiterated that, ‘AWU members are serious about getting a deal done and continue to bargain in good faith. If a deal can’t be struck the Union will consider further stoppages and strike action before Christmas to further our claims.’
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