In response to last Wednesday’s sensational announcement about massive cuts to staff at Virgin Australia’s Head Office, the ASU sought an urgent meeting to understand what – if any – restructuring process or program has already been commenced by the Company.
The meeting took place in Brisbane on Friday, 30th August 2019. Discussions commenced with representatives from the ASU’s Queensland Together Branch present, as well as the ASU National Office, joining Todd Reynolds, (Virgin Australia’s General Manager, Group Workplace Relations) Glen Steedman (General Manager, Finance) Chris Newman (Manager, Workplace Relations) and Kristina Chapman (Head of People).
The announcement last week makes it critical that Virgin Australia involve you in ‘Next Steps’
At the meeting, the ASU notified the Company of their obligations to consult with the ASU. Virgin Australia must discuss the introduction of major workplace changes, the likely effect on ALL employees and any measures to avoid or reduce the adverse effects of the changes on employees.
Your Union is extremely concerned about how Virgin Australia will manage this process
Virgin Australia presented the ASU with a broad-brush response to our concerns. So far the business has been light on the details of how their decision will impact ALL staff and said that they have commenced a review of operational costs. Whilst the Company has committed to keeping the your union informed about the review and its outcomes, their commitment fell short of agreeing to a programme of consultation meetings with the ASU over the coming weeks and months.
The ASU’s Queensland Together Branch have written to Virgin Australia
The branch wrote to the Company today putting Virgin Australia on notice of our preliminary concerns.
A more detailed picture including scope, timeframes, thoughts about the decision that was announced, support being offered to staff affected by the decision, planning from here on in, any potential flow-on to other ports and airlines within the group and assurances that the Union will be able to access to your workplaces to hear from and speak with you.
We anticipate that we will have to press management to engage with us in a more productive manner.
Got any questions?
If you need to discuss matters further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your team at the union office or your union delegates. (Download the full bulletin here) 
Virgin Australia Bulletin #30 - 2 September 2019