The TWU has today filed two Same Job Same Pay applications in the Fair Work Commission to cover Jetstar cabin crew at Team Jetstar and Altara, who are some of the lowest-paid workers in the aviation industry.

Successful applications would lift the pay of hundreds of cabin crew, some of whom receive base pay of just over $50,000 at labour hire company Altara which employs staff directly on the Award.

Altara workers are not paid for training, have no pathway to direct employment at Jetstar, and experience substandard rostering practices and breaks.

Potentially delivering pay rises of more than $10,000 for workers on the lowest pay, Team Jetstar and Altara cabin crew pay would be brought in line with that of the directly hired workforce.

Over 15 years, Qantas under Alan Joyce systematically splintered and outsourced the workforce across 38 different entities, making aviation jobs low-paid and insecure. In the past, Jetstar has relied on internationally-based crews making as little as $2 an hour.

TWU members successfully campaigned over several years for Same Job Same Pay legislation to ensure workers doing the same job receive the same pay.

Last week a damning report saw millions withheld from former CEO Alan Joyce and the Qantas Board following the illegal outsourcing of 1700 ground handling staff, as well as a culture with a “focus on financial performance before stakeholders.”

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said if the applications were successful they would make a real difference to Jetstar workers employed under Team Jetstar and Altara, but that Qantas had significant work to do in repairing the airline.

“Qantas has pioneered the strategy of using loopholes to rip away good, secure jobs and replace them with lower-paid part-time, casual, and labour hire jobs.”

“Cabin crew at Altara and Team Jetstar working side-by-side with directly hired workers are paid significantly less and are some of the lowest-paid workers in the aviation industry. These are aviation’s first responders, responsible for onboard emergencies and with critical safety roles. The least they should be able to be expect is to have the same pay and conditions of the person doing the job next to them.”

“These applications are a step towards eliminating the Qantas model of shifting work to different companies just to pay people less. Bringing these cabin crew members in line with the directly-hired workforce would make a huge difference to their lives.”

“If Qantas is serious about turning over a new leaf and overhauling its toxic culture, it needs to start treating highly-skilled workers as an investment rather than a cost to cut. We’ve seen positive steps towards insourcing at Virgin and we must see the same at Qantas.”

“The relentless revolving door we’re seeing in aviation, and the resulting plummet in standards for passengers, is a direct result of the degradation of good aviation jobs. Ultimately we need an independent decision-maker to ensure good, secure jobs in aviation that workers can afford to stay in.”