Late on Monday 4th May 2015 Dnata sent out a communication to all staff seeking expressions of interest to participate in a range of programs to reduce costs and restructure.
Your ASU delegates had an EBA meeting scheduled with the company on 5th May 2015 and we immediately raised the expressions of interest process and asked a series of questions.
None of the company's representatives could answer any questions about what the company was seeking to achieve from this EOI process or how many compulsory redundancies they were trying to avert.
We thought the communication left many questions unanswered and we asked the company to halt the EOI's and commence proper consultation. They refused.
Dispute lodged
As a result the ASU delegates decided we needed to lodge a dispute at the Fair Work Commission so that we could enforce our rights under our various agreements to be properly consulted and get the information we deserve.
The commission urgently listed our application today and as a result you will receive a further communication from Dnata today which will indicate:
- Dnata will consult with the ASU and employees over the coming days and weeks in relation to the reasons for the project, the aims of the project and the mitigation of adverse impacts on employees as a result of the project;
- No decisions have been made as to whether there will be any workforce changes as a result of the expressions of interest;
- No targets for redundancies or reduction in hours have been set;
- An expression of interest in any of the initiatives is not binding on you;
- Expressions of interest do not need to be submitted until 22 May and no expressions of interest will be considered before that day.
Time for respect
Your ASU delegates know it has been very confusing in recent days as the company hints at their need for redundancies while at the same time in a number of ports recruiting new staff. Why are they doing this you may well ask?
We have agreed to have a further discussion with the company on Tuesday 12th May about the EOIs and the transformation process to get more information about what is planned so our members can make informed decisions about their future. We deserve nothing less.
EBA negotiations continue
We are making some headway on our negotiations for the EBAs in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide – at least on the conditions. We still think that the pay rises on offer are not good enough and this still looks like the major stumbling block.
We have an EBA drafting meeting on 12th May and then a further negotiating meeting on 20th May, so stay tuned for an update after those meetings.
Dnata Bulletin - 7 May 2015