The Fair Work Commission has decided to terminate the Aerocare Collective Agreement 2012 thanks to a union challenge because Swissport employees are worse off under the 2012 Agreement than they would be if they were covered by the Airlines Award. The 2012 agreement pays below award rates on weekends and public holidays. The company is allowed to roster workers for as little as 3 hours and can force them to work split shifts. This means that a worker could be on duty for 12 hours and only receive 6 hours pay.
This is a big win for Swissport workers, and takes us one step closer to negotiating a fair agreement.
ASU members have been fighting Swissport’s attempts to undercut our wages and conditions for years. In 2017, Swissport tried to get another dodgy agreement approved, and they lost. In 2018, they went to the Federal Court to ask if split shifts were permitted by the Airlines Award, they lost. Swissport have wasted huge sums on legal fees that could have been spent on better wages and conditions for their employees.
But the fight isn’t over yet.
Swissport is still trying to force its new 2018 Agreement through the Commission. This 2018 Agreement undercuts important industry standards. Most importantly, it would allow Swissport to change your roster whenever it wants without paying you overtime and would allow Swissport to roster split shifts. But the ASU is challenging the approval of the 2018 Agreement at the hearing in Melbourne on 7 August.
Swissport has tried doing everything but the right thing by its employees. Swissport needs to stop playing legal games, and just sit down with its employees to negotiate a fair agreement.
We can’t win a fair agreement without you. The more Swissport employees join the ASU, the more power we have to make Swissport do the right thing.
ASU membership is confidential and every new member who joins strengthens our case to win a fair and decent agreement for Swissport workers.
Join the ASU today.
To join the ASU, you can join online now at our secure form: www.asu.asn.au/asujoin
Speak to your organiser for more information (download the full bulletin here) 
Swissport (formerly Aerocare) Bulletin - 6 August 2019.