Found this on the FAAA website
Attention All Qantas Long Haul Flight Attendants
OVERSEAS BASES UPDATE
MEMBERSHIP ENDORSES FAAA RECOMMENDATION TO FIGHT FOR OUR JOB SECURITY AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Last week the series of nationwide membership meetings concluded. A very large turnout of members (923) endorsed the following resolution, with only 2 members voting against.
“QANTAS LONG HAUL FLIGHT ATTENDANTS CONDEMN THE PROPOSAL BY QANTAS TO EXPAND THE USE OF OVERSEAS-BASED FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND TO ESTABLISH A LONDON BASE. FURTHER, WE EMPOWER THE SECRETARY – INTERNATIONAL DIVISION TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY ACTIONS TO FIGHT THESE PROPOSALS THAT THREATEN OUR JOBS AND OUR LIVELIHOOD”.
WHY THE QANTAS PLAN IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE FAAA
- Qantas wants to have the unrestricted ability to hire unlimited numbers of overseas cabin crew who will not be employed under our EBA. (Currently Qantas is limited to no more than 370 overseas based crew – the CAP)
- If Qantas is allowed to achieve its objective of no restriction (no cap) on overseas based crew numbers it will mean the inevitable destruction of your terms and conditions of employment.
- There is no guarantee in the event of forced redundancies that overseas based crew will be made redundant before Australian based crew. The threat to our crew, particularly our junior crew is unacceptable. Qantas will naturally want to keep cheaper overseas based crew if forced redundancy became necessary.
- We believe that there will be a real danger of other European destinations (Frankfurt) being withdrawn from Australian based crew if Qantas has the ability to have unlimited overseas based crew.
- This will mean a global salary reduction for Australian based crew as allowances, overtime, long range and ODTA associated with London patterns become no longer available to our crew.
- This means we will go from a wage freeze in 2002 to a global wage cut in 2005 if Qantas proceeds with its stated intentions.
- The FAAA believes that once long European patterns disappear i.e. LHR, these will be replaced with shorter patterns and a loss of income for crew.
- Commuters will be disadvantaged further, by increased costs associated with having to do shorter trips because London trips will no longer available
WHY LONG HAUL CREW SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THE “OFFER” TO WORK IN LHR
- Qantas says it “guarantees” a right of return to a cabin crew position in Australia. The few of you contemplating the “offer” should ensure you see a highly skilled lawyer to ensure that in fact an enforceable right of return exists.
- The hours worked in the LHR base will be 220 hours on “average” and up to 240 hours for the same money that you would receive in Australia i.e. 20-31% hourly pay cut.
- There are potentially substantial superannuation implications of taking up the “offer” and going to LHR on the basis of leave without pay from your current position and not contributing superannuation to your existing QF scheme.
- Any current Australian based crew member taking up the “offer”
for the LHR base will not be covered by the FAAA and all the protections and benefits that FAAA membership entails.
- Our EBA does not allow for seniority to be recognised upon return to Australia, for any period of employment, that an existing Australian based Long Haul cabin crew member, may take up with Qantas Cabin Crew (UK) Ltd.
- Acceptance of this “offer” by our crew, will in the FAAA’s opinion result in pressure by Qantas on current Australian based crew to accept similar inferior conditions
- 1 week less annual leave.
To illustrate the point of rapidly changing circumstances that confront Qantas and the resulting changed positions that Qantas adopts, the following 2 questions were published on the cabin crew website on 6 July 2004:
Question: “Are we pulling out of Paris…?
Answer: “There are no plans to leave or increase capacity to Paris”.
Question: “Will there be a Long Haul Base in BNE?”
Answer: “ There is no plan for this as it isn’t viable at this time”.
To those of you contemplating the LHR “offer” make sure you consider all the issues that the FAAA has raised and make sure that you don’t become victims of changed circumstances.
Finally, the FAAA does not wish confrontation with Qantas over the issue of the CAP and the issue of protection for our crew from forced redundancy. However, so that there is no ambiguity, the FAAA will not accept a situation of unlimited overseas based crew and a direct threat to the job security of our members.
We will update you as events develop.