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Unions are pushing for multi-employer bargaining in the aviation sector following the re-election of the Labor Government.
As reported in The Australian, the national council of the TWU has resolved to work to secure a multi-employer agreement for ground crew, and to explore similar arrangements in other sectors. The news follows protest action by the TWU against working conditions at Swissport.
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“Multi-employer bargaining would put an end to airlines and airports profiting from bidding wars where contractors slash wages and safety standards to win business,” said TWU national secretary Michael Kaine.
“We need to work with other unions across above wing and on-airport functions – aviation workers all face the same race-to-the-bottom pressures.
“Swissport’s monopoly position means they can cut costs at every turn, but when you’re handling aircraft worth hundreds of millions and responsible for passenger safety, corners can’t be cut.
“We’re calling for a Safe and Secure Skies Commission and fighting for multi-employer agreements that will lift standards across the entire sector. Australian aviation workers and passengers deserve better than this.”
The TWU last week held a protest at Brisbane Airport following a survey of 300 Swissport workers – around 10 per cent of the workforce – which it said revealed 39 per cent had been injured, including one who almost lost his leg in December; 73 per cent had been pressured to work unsafely; 60 per cent complained of unsafe equipment; and half said their safety concerns had not been resolved.
“We cannot have an industry where clients like Qantas are so ruthlessly cutting costs in their supply chain that we’ve got a young worker almost losing his leg just doing his job,” said Kaine.
“It is an appalling indictment on the state of this industry that almost half of Swissport workers are injured on the job, three quarters are pressured to work unsafely just to get planes out on time, and their concerns are routinely ignored. This must end.
“This crisis in aviation is not going away by itself unless there is significant action from all levels: airports, airlines, governments and regulators all have a part to play to ensure decent, safe jobs and a reliable industry for passengers.
“Aviation members today are standing up for decent jobs, for decent standards in aviation and an industry that serves the community rather than CEOs and their pay packets.”
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says:It appears that the TWU will take over from the CFMEU as the dominant employee representative in Oz and they could well copy their questionable behaviour, it is also most unlikely that the re-elected Fed Govt will have the desire or potential to intervene and draw up corrected and needed lines for a new required total behavior. Accidents on the ramp area are/ should be monitored by the shift/gang supv with the union delegate and from experience few “accidents” are accidents. As for improved wages etc., the TWU should look at the root cause of living costs, the Fed Govt spending is out of control, just look at the volume of business closures and failures and why !
As the saying goes, – no change = no change. Sadly, I think we are in for a bad time.