On Tuesday, 6 April the New Zealand government announced a travel bubble with New Zealand starting from 19 April 2021.

We understand that the Qantas Group intends to commence flights to New Zealand as soon as the bubble opens. This is likely to mean the recall of some stood down international lounge and airport employees.

The opening of international travel makes vaccination against COVID-19 more important than ever. The public health authorities have identified international aviation workers as having an elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19. It’s important that everyone has the opportunity to be protected by a vaccine as soon as possible.

The USU/ASU has written to Qantas and Jetstar management seeking an urgent response to the following questions:

  1. Is Qantas Group updating the lists of employees eligible for the vaccine in phases 1A and 1B with the local health departments to enable employees who will now be dealing with international arrivals to access the vaccine?
  2. When will rosters be published taking into account the new flights?

Send this bulletin to anyone you know who isn’t in the USU. They can join atwww.usu.org.au/join.

 

If you have any questions about this email or need any assistance at work, please contact your USU organiser Thomas Russell on 0419 761 320 or via email at trussell@usu.org.au