Qantas drug-test plan
AAP
Qantas drug-test plan
By Barbara Adam
March 14, 2003
QANTAS'S 38,000 employees would be asked to supply urine samples on demand under a proposed random drug and alcohol testing program.
The program is yet to be introduced because of concerns raised by the ACTU and unions representing the airline's staff.
Under the regime, employees would be asked to provide urine samples that would reveal the presence of illegal and prescription drugs taken during the previous three months.
The airline's proposed banned list includes prescription medications such as blood-pressure tablets and some drugs that treat cardiovascular conditions.
ACTU senior industrial officer Richard Watts said employees could be sacked if certain prescription or illegal drugs were found during testing.
"If you showed up with prescription medication in a drug test and you hadn't told your employer about it and gotten an okay, it would be a dismissable offence," Mr Watts said.
Telling the employer that certain medications were being taken could result in an employee being moved or forced to take leave, he said.
Mr Watts said many medicines were on the banned list simply because they carried warnings of possible drowsiness and the dangers of using heavy machinery if affected.
The ACTU also questioned the employer's right to test for illegal drugs.
"The employer has an obligation to provide a safe working environment but it's not the employer's role to be a moral guardian of society," Mr Watts said.
"Obviously, there's some drugs that are illegal but people take them, particularly young people.
"It doesn't necessarily mean they're impaired at work."
One alternative the union wants Qantas to consider is mouth swabs rather than urine testing, which would reveal whether someone had taken drugs in the past 48 hours.
"There aren't many drugs people take that will impair their performance for more than 48 hours," he said.
The ACTU is yet to form a firm position on drug and alcohol testing in the workplace but union officials hope to set a policy that would apply to public and private employers.
Mr Watts said the NSW government was expected to begin negotiations soon on a drug and alcohol testing program for the public-transport sector, including bus and train drivers and ferry captains.
Qantas confirmed it was negotiating the introduction of a new drug and alcohol policy with the ACTU.
AAP