Virgin cabin crew vote for industrial action in landslide

“The message from workers at Virgin is loud and clear: they are literally sick and tired of being run ragged while the airline’s owners treat it as their personal piggy bank,” said TWU national secretary Michael Kaine.

“They are fed up with being asked to do more with less, while the owners and executives have the lion’s share of the rewards.

“They are simply asking for the basics: enough staff to do the job safely, fair pay and access to secure, permanent employment. These aren’t unreasonable demands, they are the foundation for a sustainable airline.”

According to the TWU, Virgin cabin crew are seeking “fairer rostering arrangements to prevent increasingly exhausting duties, meaningful progression through pay classifications, and stronger fatigue protections, including increased minimum rest periods”.

“Virgin is at a crossroads. It cannot be allowed to copy the Alan Joyce playbook, where it cuts costs, drives down standards and squeeze every cent out of its workforce,” said Kaine.

“We’ve already seen the consequences of that at Qantas, in the end its workers and passengers who ultimately pay the price.

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“This airline has already shown that when you engage with your workforce, it pays off. Its employee share scheme and successful insourcing prove Virgin can run a profitable airline while investing in its people. It’s time Bain took a sliver of that 2 billion and did the same.”

Virgin is continuing to negotiate with cabin crew, having put forward an offer including pay increases between 14 per cent and 29 per cent over three years, as well as higher allowances and the introduction of weekend loadings.

“We recognise the important role our cabin crew team members play. We continue to negotiate with all parties in good faith, and negotiations are progressing,” a Virgin spokesperson said.

“Our priority is on finalising an enterprise agreement that recognises and rewards our team members, while supporting the long-term sustainability of the business.”

Ground crew, meanwhile, are asking for “safeguards to reduce excessive workloads on longer shifts and improve fatigue management, a fair pay increase to help workers keep up with the cost of living, and greater access to permanent and full-time employment”.

Virgin says it has offered wage increases of 17 per cent to 28.9 per cent over three years, as well as rostering improvements, clearer progression opportunities, more full-time roles, and a revised classification structure.

“Our priority is on minimising any impact on our operations and guests’ travel and we have a number of contingencies in place,” the spokesperson said.

“We have put forward an offer that ensures we can continue delivering for our people and customers and compete effectively in a highly challenging operating environment.

“We remain committed to working with unions and employee representatives to reach an agreement.”

Virgin Australia airport staff have been undertaking their own protected action in recent weeks, including suspending priority boarding and handing out union material.