Qantas airports update

Today USU/ASU delegates and officials met with the company reps to consult about the EOIs for redundancy results and the binding offers that have been accepted, those that have not and what the process is from here on the issues of Special Leave without Pay and temporary conversion from Full time to part time.

Many people did take up the binding offer that was made to them and it will be sad to see so many people leave the company in these circumstances and we at the USU/ASU will miss all the members who have chosen this path and we wish you well in whatever is next.

There were some people who decided not to take up their offer and in most if not all cases there was an oversubscription of EOIs and so we have discussed with management who gets the additional available redundancy. The company will apply the seniority and reverse seniority process again, we are just in discussion about what that means exactly and hope to have that clarified ASAP. The argument is about how the order works e.g. if a senior person did not confirm the offer then the next most senior is offered the position, not as the company says it then reverts to the reverse seniority position at the bottom of the list. We say the same applies if the reverse seniority candidate rejected the offer – it goes to the next person on the reverse seniority list.

A number of additional people changed their minds – 47 in total across the ports – in some places people will be able to access redundancy because of undersubscription, others EOIs will be noted.

USU/ASU members in airports and other areas are looking for job swaps and so there may be the possibility to do this, the process takes some time but we will be working on this and your delegates and organisers are looking at this closely too.

Special Leave without pay

A number of people put in an EOI for SLWOP.  Qantas asked for EOIs up to 24 months but it is clear this may well not be what they accept. At the moment it seems they may only accept applications for 3 or 6 months SLWOP. We think this is silly and are pressing them about this. There is also no guarantee if you make an application that you will be granted it for whatever length that you request. What we do know is that the company is likely to send a communication to people who had a first preference for SLWOP asking you to make a formal application for this leave. We expect the communication to come around 25th September and close a week later. We will then consult with the company about the results and understand which applications they accept or do not accept – that may not be until mid-October.

It is important to note that the SLWOP policy allows the company to cancel leave with 4 weeks notice – we have asked for clarification about the circumstances in which this will occur as we know people are making plans for long periods away from Qantas and need some certainty about the potential of cancellation of the leave. Everyone needs this clarity to plan their lives. If you have questions about SLWOP make sure you talk to your local reps.

We are yet to receive a breakdown of SLWOP requests by classification/role and will be reviewing this closely to ensure Qantas can accommodate as many requests as possible, while also maintaining staffing levels so that people aren’t recalled with limited notice.

Temporary conversion from Full time to part time

Shortly there will be communication to people who expressed interest in  temporarily changing from Full time to part time – you too should receive a letter and probably a call from a local manager to discuss this option around 25th September. We are trying to clarify how you can opt back to being Full time before the time you agree if you want to and also how you slot into rosters and stand downs. Again if you have questions please contact your local reps.

Qantas Lounges — more news next week

Qantas weren’t in a position to provide further updates about Lounges at our meeting however we expect to hold further discussions late next week.

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