Unions representing over 30,000 Qantas employees have condemned the airline's corporate greed, saying the $2.4 billion underlying profit margin is built on the back of an underpaid, disrespected workforce, and it's long overdue workers received their fair share.
Six unions, including the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), Australian Workers' Union (AWU), the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), the Transport Workers' Union (TWU), the Australian Services Union (ASU) and the Flight Attendants' Association of Australia (FAAA) say the 28% leap in net profits come in the face of illegal sackings, threats to workers, cruel bargaining tactics, and a blanket refusal to negotiate fairly.
Time and time again, Qantas shows consistently how it puts profits before people and where the company's true priorities lie. Its appalling track record of price gouging and phantom flights towards its customers is equally reflected towards its workforce.
Last week, Qantas was fined a historic $90 million for illegally outsourcing 1,800 ground workers, and was criticised by judge Michael Lee as an "aggressive" company driven by greed. Qantas employees were sent an apology by CEO Vanessa Hudson, claiming the airline was 'committed to building a workplace where workers feel supported, respected, and valued'.
However, just one day later, in bargaining with the Qantas Engineers' Alliance (made up of the AMWU, AWU and ETU), Qantas threatened to remove the back pay of more than a thousand engineering workers, sending through a rejected offer back to vote. Qantas engineers remain the lowest paid in their industry, having experienced multiple wage freezes over the years. Qantas engineers are fighting to have their skills behind Qantas' world-leading safety record valued and recognised.
Similarly, thousands of ASU members in Qantas' service sector remain one of the lowest paid at the airline. Workers across check-in, call centres and freight operations have been seeking structural changes at Qantas to address pay disparity for its largely feminised services-orientated workforce. Meanwhile, thousands of FAAA members working in cabin crew have been locked in bargaining.
Today's announcement shows another year of Qantas recording billions in profits but refusing to pass any of that share to the skilled and loyal workers behind its brand and its success.
Quotes attributable to:
AMWU Assistant National Secretary, Dave Henry:
"Qantas can afford record profits, but it can't afford to treat its workers with respect. Threatening aircraft maintenance engineers with losing back pay unless they accept a substandard deal is corporate bullying at its finest— and after the Federal Court branded Qantas greedy last week, this shows they still haven't learnt their lesson. Every take-off and landing depends on our engineers' precision, expertise, and tireless commitment to safety. Fair wages must reflect that, particularly in light of a skills shortage caused by Qantas' underinvestment."
AWU National Secretary, Paul Farrow:
"For almost eighteen months, Qantas have dragged their heels and refused to come to the bargaining table with a fair offer for highly-skilled, experienced engineers. To threaten hundreds of workers just twenty-four hours after being slugged with the biggest industrial penalty in our nation's history beggars belief. Qantas needs a rebrand – our national airline is no longer the spirit of Australia, but the spirit of self-interest and corporate greed."
ETU National Secretary, Michael Wright:
"Qantas has announced they have made a $2.4 billion underlying profit. We need to ask where this comes from. Billions in profit and yet Qantas showing no respect to the workers that have made this airline the safest in the country. With money like this Qantas can and must pay their highly skilled workforce what they are worth. Profit off the back of hard working people is greedy and shameful. It's time for Qantas to do the right thing and pay workers what they deserve."
TWU Assistant National Secretary, Emily McMillan:
"Only last week Qantas was blasted by the Federal Court for its "wrong kind of sorry" towards workers it illegally sacked. We don't need more performative words from Qantas, we need real action on decent jobs and standards. Qantas must make it clear that these near-record profits will be invested back into the workforce that has made this result possible. Swissport ground workers in the Qantas supply chain are also struggling with low pay, insecure jobs and safety issues, while Qantas group pilots are continuing industrial action over an offer from the company that would put them at the bottom of the industry."
ASU Assistant National Secretary, Scott Cowen:
"While Qantas is telling shareholders that it now has the money to modernise its fleet of aircraft, some of our members can't afford to get their car serviced to drive to work. Qantas has proven today that it has the capacity to address our members' long-standing concerns about pay, job security, rosters, and gender disparity issues. It's time that workers shared in the massive profits that Qantas has continued to enjoy thanks to the hard work of our members."
FAAA Federal Secretary, Teri O'Toole
"Clearly the airline is doing well, and this should be reflected in our upcoming Enterprise Agreement negotiations for cabin crew. Cabin crew are the largest group of employees and are responsible for holding Qantas together along with other workers, so this needs to be reflected in their working conditions and pay."
