The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) has called on Qantas to pay back the $2.7 billion of government funding it received during the pandemic as the airline predicts record profits.
In the wake of Qantas’ $2.5 billion profit estimate, the TWU has also called for the creation of a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to “rebalance aviation” to put the focus bask on job security and service rather than “exorbitant profits, shareholder buybacks and multimillion-dollar executive bonuses”.
“This obscene profit forecast is the result of Qantas management bleeding dry workers, passengers and the taxpaying public,” TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said.
“The right thing to do would be to pay back every dollar of no-strings government handouts Qantas received from Scott Morrison before it trashed every essential section of the airline to prop up executives and shareholders.”
Last week, Kaine told TWU’s National Council he would make it a priority to put workers at the centre of Qantas’ rebuild.
“The $100 million increase to the share buyback scheme is a kick in the guts to illegally sacked workers who were told their jobs were sacrificed to save this amount of money,” Kaine said.
“Qantas passengers have faced chronic airport chaos because those 1700 families lost their livelihoods, which has been found twice by the Federal Court to have been illegally motivated to avoid them accessing their industrial rights.”
“Out of whack”
Kaine said the profit guidance, which came amid soaring airfares, rising complaints against Qantas, sackings deemed unlawful by the Federal Court, and a new wet leasing deal with Finnair, “just shows how out of whack aviation has become”.
“This clearly demonstrates the need for dedicated regulation to rein in corporate greed for the sake of a reliable industry with quality jobs and service standards,” he stated.
“The TWU has committed to utilise every industrial instrument at our disposal to lift standards for aviation workers and rebuild the industry, including award applications and multi-employer bargaining when the time is right.
“The Federal Government should establish a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to reset the industry by setting and overseeing appropriate standards across our airports.”
This week, Qantas announced that former American Airlines CEO and Chairman Doug Parker would join its board. The Qantas Group also recently revealed that Vanessa Hudson will take over at the helm of Qantas when current CEO Alan Joyce retires in November 2023.
Elsewhere, the flying kangaroo unveiled a raft of major updates to its international network, including a big boost to services to the US and across Asia and multiple new routes.
Earlier this year, Qantas reported a record H1 FY23 result.
