On March 10, 2016 our second EBA meeting with Qantas management kicked off with the presentation of many of our detailed claims for EBA 11.

For over 3 hours your National Negotiating team (NNT) went to the nitty gritty of the claims that you want to achieve in any new bargaining agreement.

We talked about:

• Job security (think QGS and telephone sales)
• Work intensity (less people to do the same work)
• The inability to take leave (annual leave, long service leave and DILs)
• Fairness and equity (for part timers, full timers, job share and flexible work agreements).

In this week of International Women’s Day we talked about better superannuation and paid parental leave to redress the gender pay gap, we talked about how hard is to make ends meet. We talked about the company just doing what is fair.

We told management about the reality of the lives of the people who make the sacrifices at the front line for Qantas in the face of job cuts and tough working conditions.

All Qantas management talked about was credit rating agency Moody’s view of Qantas and wage freezes. The disconnect between the sacrifices being made at the frontline by hard working loyal staff and fairness was staggering.

The begrudging acknowledgment that the ASU areas took the most job losses during the transformation process was the only concession made.

Spin over substance

But then what would we expect? Even in the face of the largest half year profit in the company’s history – the management story of doom and gloom stays the same. But of course it would, because they want you to feel discouraged.

It is very important to Qantas to continue to throw every reason imaginable at you about our claims. That is what they do. You have to look at their communication in this light.

Evidence is emerging that in fact their EBA bulletin for meeting No.2 about the negotiations may have been written 24 hours before our meeting and time delayed to be sent out just after the meeting on 10th March. No wonder management failed to mention anything of substance about our claims!

It’s about what’s fair

It is important to remember that bargaining always starts this way. Our biggest strength is our unity and the fact we know how the business works on the ground.

All we want is what is fair.

We know that without people, there would be no profits! We have a great advantage people power which has served us well in past negotiations and will again.

What next?

We still have some more detail about our claims to give Qantas. Our next meeting is set for 30th March 2016 and we expect to hear from Qantas on what changes they want to make to our agreement.

Don’t be surprised if they propose wholesale changes to our agreement again, that is what they do!

Need more information

Copies of our detailed claims are available from your local ASU Organisers or National negotiating team members.
Your local organisers or NNT members can also provide updates (download the full bulletin below for details).

 Qantas EBA11 bulletin, 11 March 2016