Virgin have agreed to the USU/ASU’s request that team members be given a further opportunity to provide feedback about the proposed changes to roster patterns. Virgin previously ran a survey to collect the views of team members, however, many of our members reported that they did not know that they could include comments in their responses.
In a meeting on 27 May 2021, Virgin reported that a majority of full-time team members have indicated a preference for Option B (rostered blocks of between 3–7 days, with days off between 2–4 days). While many team members want to retain the current 6/3 roster pattern, Virgin are seeking to push ahead with changes to rosters.
Meanwhile, the 4/2 roster patter for part-time team members has been updated to include a 3-day break in the 6 week roster pattern.
Virgin will attempt to limit team members having an early start to a block of shifts if they finished a block with a late shift – a minimum of 55 hours’ between shifts will be used as a guide.
Team members will be able to submit preferences for AM or PM shifts. Similar to the current arrangement, there will be no guarantee that you receive your preference. The USU/ASU is continuing to seek details from Virgin about how preferences can be submitted.
Some members have been told that the changes to roster patterns are required because of the Guest Services Agreement. This is not true. Virgin are changing your rosters to increase their productivity, not because of your Agreement.
Share your feedback with Virgin!
The USU/ASU will continue to consult with Virgin about the changes to roster patters. At the same time, make sure your voice is heard by responding to Virgin’s feedback form. It will be open until 5pm on Wednesday, 2 June 2021.
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