Qantas to introduce AWA'a
Thread Starter
Qantas to introduce AWA'a
Qantas to bring in AWAs
August 13, 2006
QANTAS will soon start introducing Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) into certain parts of its workforce, chief executive Geoff Dixon says.
He declined to confirm whether engineers and flight crew would be the first to move onto the controversial individual contracts, which, he said, would benefit staff as well as the company.
Mr Dixon said Qantas would take advantage of new flexibilities under federal laws after having been, as he put it, a union-held outfit for many years.
"We have 16 unions, we have 45 enterprise bargaining agreements within this company and 20 of them, or 15 of them, are live at the moment, in other words we are negotiating them," he said to the Nine Network.
"We will be announcing very shortly that we are going to put AWAs into certain areas of the Qantas group."
Mr Dixon said the company would announce more details in time.
"We have come to the conclusion in recent months that we need a range of industrial instruments and we will be still, very much, having our enterprise bargaining agreements with a lot of our people, but where we need greater flexibility, where we think it's better utilised, we will be using AWAs," he said.
"I assure people that any AWAs Qantas puts in will be very, very good for the people as well as the company, but we will need the flexibility and we will need the productivity we can probably get out of them but these will not be like some people are alleging that they'll be bottom of the barrel. They will not be."
Mr Dixon said he did not know the origin of speculation that another 1200 jobs would be lost inside Qantas, but confirmed he was preparing redundancies.
"We must continue to change the way we do business, that will involve us getting out of some parts of our business and it will involve further streamlining of our business.
"We have indicated that there'll be about 1000 management positions going from the company within the next six to nine months and that will be starting to proceed probably in the next two or three weeks – it's just about being finalised now."
August 13, 2006
QANTAS will soon start introducing Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) into certain parts of its workforce, chief executive Geoff Dixon says.
He declined to confirm whether engineers and flight crew would be the first to move onto the controversial individual contracts, which, he said, would benefit staff as well as the company.
Mr Dixon said Qantas would take advantage of new flexibilities under federal laws after having been, as he put it, a union-held outfit for many years.
"We have 16 unions, we have 45 enterprise bargaining agreements within this company and 20 of them, or 15 of them, are live at the moment, in other words we are negotiating them," he said to the Nine Network.
"We will be announcing very shortly that we are going to put AWAs into certain areas of the Qantas group."
Mr Dixon said the company would announce more details in time.
"We have come to the conclusion in recent months that we need a range of industrial instruments and we will be still, very much, having our enterprise bargaining agreements with a lot of our people, but where we need greater flexibility, where we think it's better utilised, we will be using AWAs," he said.
"I assure people that any AWAs Qantas puts in will be very, very good for the people as well as the company, but we will need the flexibility and we will need the productivity we can probably get out of them but these will not be like some people are alleging that they'll be bottom of the barrel. They will not be."
Mr Dixon said he did not know the origin of speculation that another 1200 jobs would be lost inside Qantas, but confirmed he was preparing redundancies.
"We must continue to change the way we do business, that will involve us getting out of some parts of our business and it will involve further streamlining of our business.
"We have indicated that there'll be about 1000 management positions going from the company within the next six to nine months and that will be starting to proceed probably in the next two or three weeks – it's just about being finalised now."
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Sydney NSW Australia
Posts: 3,051
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i suppose the first question should be, will the company negotiate the AWA details with ALL staff as a group? will every staff member have the same contract? or will they have a situation like Boeing had in Williamtown with every staff member on a different AWA, yet all doing the same job....
so the Basic lowest level AME should expect 48K without shift penalties or overtime and a 40 Hour week. 15 days sick leave, and 120 Hrs annual leave PA...
"I assure people that any AWAs Qantas puts in will be very, very good for the people as well as the company,
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: concert hall
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agree with everything there ultra. Is the transfer of business clause part of IR as well?. If you note that dicko said also the 787's may not be transfered to QF i guess Brisbane will become Boeing heavy maint. very quickly and there is not one thing that could be done about it. It is 100% legal under the new workplace laws. The race to the bottom is well and truly started
Evertonian
So, as an example to the many fine workers at QF, GD will go onto an AWA as well?
One thing I would like to see is John Howard & all the other pollies put on one. Surely, as they are OUR employees (as taxpayers) we can negotiate their AWA.....? No more free travel Comm Cars and fitted offices...time to get real!
One thing I would like to see is John Howard & all the other pollies put on one. Surely, as they are OUR employees (as taxpayers) we can negotiate their AWA.....? No more free travel Comm Cars and fitted offices...time to get real!
After seeing Dixon on Business Sunday QF pilots should be very worried as they might become extinct. Dixon made several hints in relation to things going to the "cheapest option" and that the 787 might all go to jetstar.
If this does happen it will make the whole QF recruiting system farcicial as they will be hiring all the people that they didn't want flying their aircraft in the first instance!! Money talks louder than their pysch and skills testing I suppose.
If this does happen it will make the whole QF recruiting system farcicial as they will be hiring all the people that they didn't want flying their aircraft in the first instance!! Money talks louder than their pysch and skills testing I suppose.
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Townsville,Nth Queensland
Posts: 2,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jetstar cabin crew to lead AWAs
Mon "The Australian"
Jetstar cabin crew to lead AWAs
Steve Creedy
August 14, 2006
FLIGHT attendants with Jetstar International will spearhead a Qantas move towards Australian Workplace Agreements as management steps up its battle to cut costs.
Jetstar will move to sidestep its flight attendants' union by today announcing it will require cabin crew on its new international services to be on AWAs. It will also establish a crew base in Bangkok, although it says the majority of attendants will still be based in Australia.
The moves comes as Qantas is poised to this week announce a reduced profit after warning in June that pre-tax profit for 2005-06 would slump 27 per cent to "around $670 million" after restructuring costs.
The moves will be seen as highly provocative by unions, who had been expecting a switch to AWAs and the export of more jobs as part of the airline's cost-cutting regime.
Those fears were confirmed yesterday when Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon revealed that AWAs would be introduced to areas of the Qantas Group after management had concluded the airline needed "a range of industrial instruments".
"We will be still, very much, having our enterprise bargaining agreements with a lot of our people but where we need greater flexibility, where we think it's better utilised, we will be using AWAs," he said.
Mr Dixon also foreshadowed more job losses, responding to suggestions that another 1200 jobs could go by noting the airline would be making "a substantial allocation" for redundancies this year.
"We must continue to change the way we do business and it will involve a further streamlining of our business," he told the Nine Network's Business Sunday.
"We have indicated about 1000 management positions going in the next six to nine months and that will be starting probably in the next two to three weeks. It's just being finalised now."
Mr Dixon refused to detail which Qantas staff would go to AWAs.
But Jetstar confirmed yesterday it would start offering two versions of five-year AWAs to its international cabin crew and customer service managers, or its head flight attendants, from today.
The new agreement will include six weeks annual leave, 10 days sick leave and a guarantee of eight rostered days off per 28-day roster.
The average range of an overall package will be $41,000 to $46,000 a year for cabin crew and $54,000 to $60,000 for customer service managers, with a 3 per cent annual rise over the life of contract. But the Jetstar package is based on a 38-hour week and includes superannuation and "productivity bonuses" for working extra hours, commission on selling food and extra skills such as language.
Qantas flight attendants get a range of allowances, including superannuation, beyond their $47,000 annual base salary that can boost their yearly pay packet by more than $20,000.
"We believe the total package for both AWAs will be in line with the Australian median wage," Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said yesterday. "The overall package will be significantly above the mean full-time earnings in what we believe are comparable industries with similar skill sets, such as retail, hoteliers, cafes and restaurants."
Mr Westaway said the component of the salary based on productivity and performance would be based on several measures, including payments for longer hours and commission on in-flight sales of food, drink, entertainment and comfort packs.
Those with an additional language would also be paid a bonus.
"We are offering brand new agreements for new jobs we're creating," he said. "Initially within Australia we'll be creating 200 new flight attendant positions."
He said the airline was also establishing a crew base in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Mr Dixon downplayed suggestions Qantas should partially float Jetstar. "Right at the moment, that is not a proposal," he said. Noting he did not usually comment on speculation, Mr Dixon said his current aim was to make sure Jetstar and Qantas "are both 100 per cent owned by the current holding company".
But Mr Dixon said he also wanted them to compete aggressively for capital allocated within the group.
============================================
Jetstar cabin crew to lead AWAs
Steve Creedy
August 14, 2006
FLIGHT attendants with Jetstar International will spearhead a Qantas move towards Australian Workplace Agreements as management steps up its battle to cut costs.
Jetstar will move to sidestep its flight attendants' union by today announcing it will require cabin crew on its new international services to be on AWAs. It will also establish a crew base in Bangkok, although it says the majority of attendants will still be based in Australia.
The moves comes as Qantas is poised to this week announce a reduced profit after warning in June that pre-tax profit for 2005-06 would slump 27 per cent to "around $670 million" after restructuring costs.
The moves will be seen as highly provocative by unions, who had been expecting a switch to AWAs and the export of more jobs as part of the airline's cost-cutting regime.
Those fears were confirmed yesterday when Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon revealed that AWAs would be introduced to areas of the Qantas Group after management had concluded the airline needed "a range of industrial instruments".
"We will be still, very much, having our enterprise bargaining agreements with a lot of our people but where we need greater flexibility, where we think it's better utilised, we will be using AWAs," he said.
Mr Dixon also foreshadowed more job losses, responding to suggestions that another 1200 jobs could go by noting the airline would be making "a substantial allocation" for redundancies this year.
"We must continue to change the way we do business and it will involve a further streamlining of our business," he told the Nine Network's Business Sunday.
"We have indicated about 1000 management positions going in the next six to nine months and that will be starting probably in the next two to three weeks. It's just being finalised now."
Mr Dixon refused to detail which Qantas staff would go to AWAs.
But Jetstar confirmed yesterday it would start offering two versions of five-year AWAs to its international cabin crew and customer service managers, or its head flight attendants, from today.
The new agreement will include six weeks annual leave, 10 days sick leave and a guarantee of eight rostered days off per 28-day roster.
The average range of an overall package will be $41,000 to $46,000 a year for cabin crew and $54,000 to $60,000 for customer service managers, with a 3 per cent annual rise over the life of contract. But the Jetstar package is based on a 38-hour week and includes superannuation and "productivity bonuses" for working extra hours, commission on selling food and extra skills such as language.
Qantas flight attendants get a range of allowances, including superannuation, beyond their $47,000 annual base salary that can boost their yearly pay packet by more than $20,000.
"We believe the total package for both AWAs will be in line with the Australian median wage," Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said yesterday. "The overall package will be significantly above the mean full-time earnings in what we believe are comparable industries with similar skill sets, such as retail, hoteliers, cafes and restaurants."
Mr Westaway said the component of the salary based on productivity and performance would be based on several measures, including payments for longer hours and commission on in-flight sales of food, drink, entertainment and comfort packs.
Those with an additional language would also be paid a bonus.
"We are offering brand new agreements for new jobs we're creating," he said. "Initially within Australia we'll be creating 200 new flight attendant positions."
He said the airline was also establishing a crew base in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Mr Dixon downplayed suggestions Qantas should partially float Jetstar. "Right at the moment, that is not a proposal," he said. Noting he did not usually comment on speculation, Mr Dixon said his current aim was to make sure Jetstar and Qantas "are both 100 per cent owned by the current holding company".
But Mr Dixon said he also wanted them to compete aggressively for capital allocated within the group.
============================================
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Heaven
Posts: 584
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"The overall package will be significantly above the mean full-time earnings in what we believe are comparable industries with similar skill sets, such as retail, hoteliers, cafes and restaurants."
Similar skill set my arse
Safety and emergency procedures,medical responses,defibrillating,child birth,dealing with psychotic episodes from pax...the list goes on.
Similar skill set?!...Westaway needs a good smack in the chops
Similar skill set my arse
Safety and emergency procedures,medical responses,defibrillating,child birth,dealing with psychotic episodes from pax...the list goes on.
Similar skill set?!...Westaway needs a good smack in the chops
Last edited by DEFCON4; 14th Aug 2006 at 13:06.
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Skylab
Posts: 441
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pilots employed with Express Freighters Australia are on AWA's.........
Won't be too far away when the Jetstar pilots are on AWA's...the JPC vote for the widebody addition to their EBA assured that.
Won't be too far away when the Jetstar pilots are on AWA's...the JPC vote for the widebody addition to their EBA assured that.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: all over
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes, and not only is the game effectively over, it all happened live, in real time as seen in daily posts for the last few years here on Pprune, for those with eyes to see....and the AIPA band played on.
Why would anyone want to work for an organisation that believes a FAs value is the same as a restaurant worker. Does the restaurant worker have to deal with being away from family, timezone changes, dry cabins etc etc. How much emergency procedures training does a cafe worker have.....are they tested on it often???
I have a friend that drives a bus - ends up with $50k a year, hardly any weekends and in your own bed every night. That JQ package is a joke. Hope Jetstar have a big FA recruitment department, because the gloss will wear thin on 45K a year and they'll leave in droves.....but I guess in the end thats what they want, have them while their fresh and keen, suck all the life out of them make them quit and replace them again.
Welcome to John Howards new world!
I have a friend that drives a bus - ends up with $50k a year, hardly any weekends and in your own bed every night. That JQ package is a joke. Hope Jetstar have a big FA recruitment department, because the gloss will wear thin on 45K a year and they'll leave in droves.....but I guess in the end thats what they want, have them while their fresh and keen, suck all the life out of them make them quit and replace them again.
Welcome to John Howards new world!
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Australia
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is from the Business Sunday transcript, 13th August.
GREEENWOOD: We've seen speculation this week that Jetstar could be floated off as a separate company, if that were even considered, is it one of those situations where you'd like the Qantas holding company to maintain a controlling interest, or would you be prepared to let Jetstar go?
DIXON: No never let — under my leadership we would never let Jetstar go without a major interest being retained by Qantas. Right at the moment, that is not a proposal, I mean that was speculation by a columnist and we usually don't comment on speculations like that but the point about it is my aim at the moment, is to make sure that Jetstar, and Qantas, are both 100 percent owned by the current holding company and that they compete aggressively in the markets that they're in. But I also want them to compete aggressively within the Qantas group for the capital that we allocate. At the moment we've announced, I think we have 65 firm orders coming for the 787's — a new generation aircraft which will be 20 percent lower cost structure than other aircraft, or equivalent aircraft, we've said the first 10 or 15 will go into Jetstar. The truth is, they'd all go into Jetstar if Jetstar was the right vehicle for it. And that's going to be the new world for Qantas.
GREEENWOOD: We've seen speculation this week that Jetstar could be floated off as a separate company, if that were even considered, is it one of those situations where you'd like the Qantas holding company to maintain a controlling interest, or would you be prepared to let Jetstar go?
DIXON: No never let — under my leadership we would never let Jetstar go without a major interest being retained by Qantas. Right at the moment, that is not a proposal, I mean that was speculation by a columnist and we usually don't comment on speculations like that but the point about it is my aim at the moment, is to make sure that Jetstar, and Qantas, are both 100 percent owned by the current holding company and that they compete aggressively in the markets that they're in. But I also want them to compete aggressively within the Qantas group for the capital that we allocate. At the moment we've announced, I think we have 65 firm orders coming for the 787's — a new generation aircraft which will be 20 percent lower cost structure than other aircraft, or equivalent aircraft, we've said the first 10 or 15 will go into Jetstar. The truth is, they'd all go into Jetstar if Jetstar was the right vehicle for it. And that's going to be the new world for Qantas.
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Australia
Age: 44
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just out of interest, when was the last time anybody here brought a full fare (fully flexible) Qantas ticket as opposed to an el-cheapo Virgin or Jetstar or even Qantas fare?
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: airside
Posts: 518
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
019360, you might like to add to your quote "The old AIPA" band played on. I believe the new lot are doing their best to recover from previous mischievous.
Originally Posted by 019360
Yes, and not only is the game effectively over, it all happened live, in real time as seen in daily posts for the last few years here on Pprune, for those with eyes to see....and the AIPA band played on.
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The nature of the beast with this industry is that nearly everyone that works in it loves it. Sure, top level management everywhere are trying to screw every last cent out of it, but we still love the environment as a whole.
As with pilots, supply and demand with cabin crew means that wages will continue to drop whether we like it or not. I reckon QF would have no problem replacing there entire FA crews with new members on minimum wage given half the chance. There are enough people out there who would snap up the "prestigious" job as a flight attendant, regardless of the pay or conditions. The only thing stopping management is the potential losses of a mass walk out without having new crews trained to move in.
Same problem with pilots. Too many commercial pilots who will do whatever it takes to remain in the industry they love and have spent a fortune to be a part of.
ATC's no better. Crap EBA, but too sared to say "no".
As with pilots, supply and demand with cabin crew means that wages will continue to drop whether we like it or not. I reckon QF would have no problem replacing there entire FA crews with new members on minimum wage given half the chance. There are enough people out there who would snap up the "prestigious" job as a flight attendant, regardless of the pay or conditions. The only thing stopping management is the potential losses of a mass walk out without having new crews trained to move in.
Same problem with pilots. Too many commercial pilots who will do whatever it takes to remain in the industry they love and have spent a fortune to be a part of.
ATC's no better. Crap EBA, but too sared to say "no".
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Adrift upon the tides of fate
Posts: 1,840
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If only, Roger...
I think it has to be stated that the 'prestige' you spoke of stemmed largely from the money that used to be available in the industry. All that glamour wears thin after a while (and that's true of ANY job). Sometimes it takes longer for the gloss to wear off, but it inevitably does. What are you left with, then? The T&C's.
Some jobs interest people because they get good money, because they get good benefits, because they love the work. Some jobs in aviation used to have all 3. But if there are none of those things- what is going to generate that prestige?
I think it has to be stated that the 'prestige' you spoke of stemmed largely from the money that used to be available in the industry. All that glamour wears thin after a while (and that's true of ANY job). Sometimes it takes longer for the gloss to wear off, but it inevitably does. What are you left with, then? The T&C's.
Some jobs interest people because they get good money, because they get good benefits, because they love the work. Some jobs in aviation used to have all 3. But if there are none of those things- what is going to generate that prestige?