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Virgin Australia has ruled out chief customer and digital officer Paul Jones as its next CEO.
In a brief announcement on Friday afternoon, the carrier put paid to months of rumours about Jones’ ascendancy to replace outgoing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, following apparent pushback from corners such as the Transport Workers’ Union and the federal employment minister.
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“Given the ongoing press speculation, the Board of Virgin Australia confirms that Paul Jones will not be the company’s next CEO and it has not made a final decision on Jayne Hrdlicka’s successor,” the airline said in a statement.
Jones, who sensationally defected from Qantas in 2020, was in June reported to be the favourite to take over from Hrdlicka, who announced her shock retirement in February last year.
However, the influential TWU came out strongly against his candidacy, given he had played a part in the illegal outsourcing of around 1,700 Qantas ground workers during COVID-19.
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine told Australian Aviation that the announcement would “bring a sigh of relief” from Virgin employees.
“It is disturbing in the extreme that [Virgin owner] Bain Capital would even have contemplated appointing one of the key instigators of the illegal sackings of 1800 workers at Qantas,” he said.
“The TWU and Virgin workers were instrumental in getting Virgin flying again after it lapsed into administration in 2020, left to languish by the Morrison government that refused to intervene.
“Fresh from successfully negotiating a post-covid return to sustainable terms and conditions across ground, cabin crew and pilot workforces the last thing workers and the business needed was a new CEO whose only claim to fame was the largest case of illegal sackings in Australian history.
“We hope that this marks the end of Bain’s dalliance with a potential Joyce model of adversarial industrial relations.”
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt this week also appeared to weigh in on the discussion, warning the airline to carefully consider any candidate’s industrial relations record.
“Most Australians would like to see Virgin choose a CEO who has a demonstrated record of putting their workers and the public first,” Minister Watt said.
“It took the Transport Workers’ Union, with the support of the then Albanese opposition, to stand up to Qantas about the way it illegally sacked its workforce during the pandemic and did a range of other things to hurt its workforce.
“I would certainly hope and expect that Virgin would think about that when it comes to its choice of CEO.”
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says:The phone call from the P.M.’s dept. to Mahogany Row at Virgin Oz. would have gone something like this;-
“The Prime Minister is very mindful of the importance of your proposed alliance with Qatar Airways and agrees that is would have positive benefits for both Australia and the employees at Virgin Oz. – unfortunately though, we are advised that you are considering an appointment to the position of C.E.O of a person associated with what the High Court judges as the illegal sacking of a vast number of workers at Qantas Airways. If this is the case, we have been advised that should that occur, maybe the planned Qatar alliance would have a detrimental effect upon industrial relations in this country and we would ask if you could offer another solution to the problem in order that the proposed alliance with Qatar Airways may proceed. The P.M. wishes all at Virgin Oz. a happy bright and prosperous time going forward.”
It happens, believe me but what about the individual concerned, maybe the rubber room!!
Fergus Moffat
says:The rabid Right media will likely bang on about excessive trade union power etc, but in the resolution of this mess, the TWU was correct and Bain Capital was not. This time, common sense has prevailed.