Report shows aviation jobs marked by low wages, part-time work (twu.com.au)

October 21, 2015

The Transport Workers’ Union is calling on the government and employers to address the crisis in aviation after a survey of employees shows many are struggling to meet costs.

Two out of five employees surveyed are working part-time on wages which put many of them earning below the poverty line. Almost 70% of employees say their pay does not allow them to meet their costs while over three-quarters say they cannot afford to retire at 65.

Qantas is eroding not only employee conditions but earning capacity of aviation workers resulting in jobs that are unsustainable. Qantas do not hire any new employees. New employees work for Qantas-owned subsidiaries such as Qantas Ground Services (QGS) or casual labour hire firms such as Aerocare.

QGS started in 2009 and now employs over 1500 workers. None of these employees is full-time. The company only guarantees 20 hours a week.

“This is an indictment of an industry awash with money. Qantas is making almost $1 billion profits and is paying its chief executive Alan Joyce $12 million. This is an industry which can and must provide decent jobs for its workforce,” said TWU National Secretary Tony Sheldon.

Many respondents in the survey said they were desperate for more hours to pay bills and support their families. One worker told surveyor, “I would like full-time work. It’s very hard to live on part-time hours.” Another worker said, “I can’t afford to retire at 65 because I already live pay cheque to pay cheque.”

Other survey results include:

• Respondents place a high value on full-time work with almost 60% saying full-time work is important
• Almost 40% of aviation employees say they earn $700 or less after tax per week with this figure jumping to almost 70% for QGS employees.
• Over 80% feel they do not have the power to change their rate of pay
• Over 70% feel they do not have the power to change their part-time situation
• Most respondents believed that poor management (73%), unfair competition from international airlines (53%) and lack of government regulation (56%) are threatening the industry.

Full report can be downloaded here>>

Tags: Aerocare, conditions, employment, Qantas, Qantas Ground Services, Transport Workers Union, TWU, wages