News
Virgin Australia
Urgent Update for ASU members at Virgin Australia
26 March 2020
The Virgin Australia Group announced Stand Downs yesterday for many other parts of the business. They have also announced that the International network is not going to continue flying the current schedule after we are through the COVID-19 outbreak. This means that some redundancies have also been announced. After consultation…
Virgin Australia is issuing stand downs to Ground Crew
26 March 2020
Virgin Australia is issuing Stand Down notices TODAY for all employees covered by the Virgin Australia Ground Crew Agreement 2018 (‘the EBA’). They have also commenced an Expression Of Interest (‘an EOI) process for opting into allocations for remaining work to run the reduced flight schedule, as well as voluntary…
We know you’re hurting and are in shock this morning The situation for Virgin Australia has changed rapidly. The Company will keep flying through the COVID-19 outbreak but it will be a very, very limited service. But we want to make sure that you know we will be by your…
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…
Virgin Australia must provide certainty to staff
18 March 2020
Given that the Company has notified staff about significant reductions in flight capacity of the airline – including a suspension of all international flying from 30 March and a 50% drop in domestic capacity until 14 June 2020 – there will be a lot to work through for you. The…
ASU drags management to the table to talk about COVID-19
17 March 2020
It is now clear that the COVID-19 outbreak will have a significant impact on the business, as well as the health and well-being of our community. As we have said in our earlier bulletins, the ASU have been seeking meetings with Virgin Australia to be updated and consulted about the…
ASU members have contacted us about advice from the Company sent this morning, to all Group employees. The ASU has not received any notification from the Company about stand-downs. Stand-downs are not available under your Enterprise Agreement (‘the EBA’). In general, the ASU does not endorse unpaid stand-downs as a…
Update on Virgin Australia and the Coronavirus
03 February 2020
ASU officials are urgently seeking information from Australian airlines regarding their response to the Coronavirus outbreak and the precautions being put in place for ground operations staff with direct passenger contact. Your safety and wellbeing is our highest priority ASU officials met with Virgin Australia Group (VAG) on the evening…
Virgin Australia 2020 Agreement Survey
23 December 2019
ASU delegates at Virgin Australia met with management on 4 December 2019 to discuss opportunities for negotiating a new enterprise agreement before the current agreement expires on 30 June 2020. When delegates and organisers met in Brisbane earlier in December, they reported back on how team members were feeling about…
The ASU met with Virgin Australia about cuts following the Company’s Group FY19 Financial Results
02 September 2019
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…
Virgin Australia announces cuts and misses the marks
28 August 2019
Today Virgin Australia has announced massive cuts to staff in it’s Head Office, although in conversations today Virgin couldn’t confirm that these cuts would not extend to other areas across the network. News reports said 750 jobs across the business. ASU members are understandably shocked at the announcement, especially given…
ASU and Virgin Australia National Consultation Committee meeting update: Occupational health and safety at work
19 July 2019
At the most recent NCC meeting on 19 June with the company, the ASU was told about plans to launch “Care Crew”, a novel approach to managing mental health issues at Virgin Australia. As it was presented to us, we heard that “Care Crew” would be a volunteer peer support…
Virgin – Shiftwork Wage Rates & Allowances
27 June 2019
Hourly Rates effective 1 July 2019 *Re: Clause 36.2 – Overtime of your agreement. At certification Virgin Australia conceded that a part time employee who works in excess of their rostered daily hours should not be paid any less than if they were covered by the Airlines Operations Ground…
Virgin Australia agrees to guarantee members who requested Flexible Working Arrangements more hours per fortnight
27 March 2019
The ASU fought Virgin Australia’s decision to reduce average fortnightly hours of work for a group of parents seeking flexible working arrangements (FWAs) in the Fair Work Commission (FWC). Virgin Australia had said that they wish to be able to reduce provisions for part-time employees who are guaranteed a minimum…