In a survey of 800 aviation workers, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) claimed that workers have been struggling to organise their vaccinations without having to give up their pay.
This is despite the airline pushing for passengers travelling overseas with Qantas or Jetstar to have a ‘digital health pass’ with information about their COVID and vaccination status prior to boarding.
According to TWU national secretary Michael Kaine, Qantas is “behaving like dictators”, blaming workers for problems that they have no control over.
He accused Qantas of “trying to blame workers for a problem which should be borne by the federal government for the failed rollout and by Qantas which is failing to guarantee that workers won’t lose a cent in pay if they get the jab”.
Instead, Mr Kaine is calling for the national carrier to guarantee pay when workers get vaccinated and ensure rapid testing for crew and passengers rather than blaming workers.
“The problem is not that workers aren’t getting vaccinated. The problem is that many workers either can’t get access to the vaccine, or are finding that when booking vaccine appointments in advance, they risk losing work ahead of rosters getting published,” he explained.
The unions pointed to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce’s pay, accusing him of being out of touch.
“Alan Joyce, who earned $11 million last year, is ignoring the grim reality for his workers that after a year of stand-down on meagre income, they are struggling,” Mr Kaine continued.
“Every extra shift, every hour’s penalty rate is vital to these workers.”
The survey data comes out on the eve of Qantas’ and the TWU’s ruling over the sacking of 2,500 staff.
The union has claimed that up to 2,500 workers at 10 airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Alice Springs and Canberra lost their jobs as a result of the move.
Qantas no longer directly employs baggage handlers, ramp workers, push back drivers or cabin cleaners.
In response, Qantas’ barrister, Neil Young, told the court that it was solely a business decision due to the company bleeding money, with tourism being halted by the pandemic.
“The decision to outsource was, we say, a necessary response to the devastating effect the pandemic had had upon Qantas’ business,” Mr Young concluded.
