On 3rd September 2019, Barry Brown – Emirates’ Divisional Vice President for Australasia – notified all Australia and New Zealand staff of their decision to close Melbourne Call Centre operations.
Following the announcement, Emirates commenced meetings with call centre staff who work at the Emirates’ Town Office to inform them that Emirates had decided to make their jobs redundant. This decision impacts all call centre staff and potentially results in job losses for 81 staff.
The ASU was never notified of Emirates’ decision until 2 p.m. today.
We are disappointed that Emirates have once again chosen to ignore your right to be consulted and represented by your union before decisions are made and early enough so that you can influence the decision.
The ASU has written to Emirates
In the first instance, Emirates has an obligation to explain their decision to staff effected, as well as take steps to prevent or minimise the impact of their decision, including the impact to remaining staff who will not be impacted by their decision.
The ASU has written to Emirates to request the breakdown of the redundancies.
We have also requested that ASU representatives be present at a meeting scheduled to take place on 5th October 2019 to discuss options to mitigate the effects of their decision.
The ASU will continue to monitor the redundancy process and ensure that Emirates meets its obligations under the Emirates Enterprise Agreement 2017 and the Airline Operations – Ground Staff Award 2010 and the NES
regarding Redundancies.
Ask the union for help
If you are an ASU member and want advice on the process or you have concerns about what has been proposed, make sure you talk to your local ASU delegate or organiser. Download the full bulletin here 
Emirates Melbourne Contact Centre Closure 3 September 2019