TWU members will protest at airports across the country against tactics led by Qantas that are draining experience from our airports and leading to dangerously low standards across aviation for both workers and the travelling public.
TWU members are protesting against Qantas-led tactics to drag down standards in aviation:
– Use of Swissport: Its use of outsourced ground handling companies with appalling records on safety like Swissport, which is receiving up to 400 safety reports a month in some ports and is being investigated by safety regulators in Brisbane and Sydney. See more on shocking safety breaches at Swissport.
– Qantas Freight: Its refusal to reverse fragmentation at Qantas Freight, where the use of up to 8 different companies to perform work has led to rock-bottom standards. Last week NSW health and safety reps served Qantas with 14 provisional improvement notices over safety failings by management at Qantas Freight. A labour hire Qantas Freight worker was killed last year.
– Western Sydney Airport: at Australia’s newest airport, opening in just over 100 days, Qantas has chosen to outsource work to Star Aviation, a company operating on poverty-level wages and conditions.
While Qantas workers used to all be employed directly by the company, they are now scattered across 38 different subsidiaries and labour hire companies, a tactic used to dismantle pay and conditions, and which has led to a revolving door in aviation, shocking safety concerns, and a dysfunctional aviation sector for the travelling public.
A survey of over 2000 aviation workers last year revealed 48% have been injured at work, and 87% have been pressured to work unsafely.
With negotiations underway across ground handling, cabin crew, pilots, security and catering, thousands of aviation workers will soon have the potential right to take protected industrial action, with Qantas Freight workers now gearing up for action.
Workers are calling on airlines and airports to properly fund fair standards in aviation and return good jobs to the sector, after a decade of pay and conditions reaching rock bottom under Alan Joyce’s reign at Qantas.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine
“What is abundantly clear is that despite promises of change after the largest illegal outsourcing in Australia’s history, Qantas is still actively working to decimate standards in aviation.
“Right across the Qantas supply chain, workers are being injured and even killed just doing their jobs. Their jobs are insecure and casualised, where they once used to be lifetime careers.
“Instead of investing in its workforce, Qantas is still doing its utmost to drag standards to rock bottom by shipping it out to companies like Swissport where we have seen horrific worker injuries.
“Aviation is in crisis, and the dysfunction is only going to continue without a mechanism that brings the entire industry together towards decisions that benefit the whole community. It’s time for Qantas, and airlines and airports right across Australia, to fund decent jobs so we have an aviation industry that works for everyone – and for that we need a Safe and Secure Skies Commission.”
Quotes from aviation workers:
“Friend lost his finger to a tug’s tow hook, another greatly damaged his feet when they got crushed under a cargo loader.”
“I love aviation but it is not an industry that will offer job security. I tried for 15 years for a full time job.”
“In every agreement negotiation the company says we need to keep conditions tight in order to renew our contracts.”
