iscover
The TWU has called on Qantas to halt its planned job losses until the government makes a decision on whether to extend its JobKeeper initiative.
National secretary Michael Kaine said, “The Qantas CEO is very good at walking the halls of Canberra when it suits his agenda, yet he is quick to cut jobs and hang workers out to dry.”
The JobKeeper initiative is due to expire on 27 September, though the Prime Minister has hinted it could be extended for selected industries. A decision is expected at the end of this month.
In a withering attack on the business and the government, Kaine said, “Before Qantas slashed thousands of workers’ jobs and takes more of its planes down to the pawn shop, it should be lobbying the federal government for an extension to JobKeeper and financial support to allow the airline to weather the crisis.
“We have been calling on the government for months to step in with a national plan for aviation and they have refused. It is because of government restrictions that aviation was grounded to a halt, yet the assistance and assurances have been paltry.
“Qantas is now making hasty decisions to slash jobs which will affect thousands of families while Virgin is still limping along. Today the IMF is warning Australia’s plans for a good recovery must be accompanied by a careful withdrawal of support.
“Because the government is refusing to provide any certainty past September, we are seeing the aviation industry go into free-fall.”
Previously, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promised the scheme will be reviewed at the end of June, and also hinted it could be extended to more vulnerable industries.
“The review will provide an opportunity to see how the program is going and the experience on the ground and to make any amendments that are necessary,” he said.
“When you move a program as quickly as this, then you anticipate that there will be some anomalies and issues that need to be addressed along the way.”
The JobKeeper package was introduced to provide coronavirus-effected business with $1,500 per employee, per fortnight.
The companies are then legally obliged to pass that payment onto workers in a bid to keep the economy active during the pandemic.
More generally, the scheme has proved problematic for much of the aviation industry.
Many airport workers are locked out of the financial package because their firms are council-owned; while staff at dnata were similarly told they were no longer eligible because their company is owned by a foreign government.
Nate
says:Bash! Bash! Bash!
That’s all the TWU can do well!
They’re useless to those they’re supposed to represent.
Have they decreased union fees’ to workers since pandemic started? I bet not.
Kaine still gets HIS wage, too. At least QANTAS CEO Alan Joyce has taken a pay cut since March.
TWU hugely have stuck their beaks into Virgin Vol Admin process. That’s a concern right there.
Maybe Kaine can start a ‘class action’ against the Chinese Communist Party, on behalf of the workers’.
Oops! I forgot, TWU’s aligned with the ALP.
Situation hopeless.
Nate
says:Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to get ‘union benefits’, so your ‘go’ at me falls flat.
Roger
says:Give us a break Nate,a pay cut from $24 million is hardly facing hardship.
I bet you don’t knock back your 4 weeks annual leave and holiday loading among other conditions you wouldn’t have if it weren’t for unions.
How much do you think AJ would pay if he didn’t have have conditions to abide by?
Harry
says:Why wait if there’s a legitimate need to downsize. Theres a limit to how much the fee remaining taxpayers can afford and Job keeper for a job that won’t be kept is not amongst the priorities unfortunately
Paul
says:Hey TWU it is not just Qantas. Globally airlines are laying off workers. The main issue is international borders. No open borders means no international flights. Jobkeeper has nothing to do with this decision.
Francis
says:I’m sure QF has excellent Financial Advisers’, & their decision on how to raise funds, will be in the best interest of the Company.
Andrew Grey
says:If you need the money QF, do an equity raising
Ian
says:jobkeeper/seeker far too generous & must end sooner never extended.
cj
says:way too many people finding Jobkeeper as one long paid holiday. Many will say it’s not safe to go back to work, (as they are enjoying it too much) when it is completely safe now.