In our last Bulletin we confirmed that the Company notified the ASU about significant reductions in flight capacity of the airline – we also said that we were working through the detail of some proposals to mitigate the impact of those reductions to you.
Announcements made by governments over the weekend have changed the circumstances for Virgin Australia and when we met with the Company yesterday the plan put to us last Friday could not be achieved.
The key points from our meeting yesterday:
- The Company updated us on further reduction of domestic flights.
- They have said that the impact of reducing flights will impact 1,917 employees covered by the Virgin Australia Ground Crew Agreement 2018 from 5 April 2020.
- We sought from the business to finalise a new plan of action for discussion with Unions tomorrow, that includes advice about the remainder of RP4 (from 5 to 19 April 2020), as well as any advice about RP5 and beyond.
- We have since requested that Virgin Australia communicate with you today to confirm rosters up to 4 April and ensure that staff be given at least 7 days’ notice about rosters for the remainder of RP4 (from 5 April 2020).
What’s next?
We have not seen a firm plan from the Company about rosters from 5 April 2020. We are working through questions from ASU members with the Company and for those questions to be answered in a document for all staff that accompanies their notice about RP4 rosters in the coming days.
All Organisers and delegates have been pushing Virgin Australia to meet with us for weeks. We've had to threaten action in the Fair Work Commission. The Company came to us with a plan last Friday but the situation changed again over the last weekend.
The ASU and TWU have locked-in meetings with management tomorrow 25 and Friday 27 March 2020. We are fighting for your jobs and we will continue to come back to staff with updates.
Speak with your ASU Organiser of local workplace delegates about your concerns
It’s a difficult time at Virgin Australia, but you have the ASU by your side every step of the way. Contact your delegate or your organiser if you need any assistance.
Virgin Australia Bulletin ASU statement on Coronavirus 240320