Qantas faces lawsuit claiming it underpaid Sydney Airport staff

Sydney,Australia - February 20, 2016: A QANTAS Boeing 737 taxies towards the terminal after landing at the city's airport. QANTAS is the flag carrier for Australia.

By James Harrison

In a new blow for the national carrier, The Australian Services Union NSW & ACT has accused Qantas of underpaying staff at Sydney Airport for many years.

The claim, which Qantas denies, was outlined in a letter obtained by 2GB and accuses the airline of paying some workers at Level 4 salary instead of Level 5 salary.

An airline worker told the radio station that the difference was $73,000 and $66,000 per annum.

In a statement, the union said it was “concerned that Qantas may have breached an historical agreement regarding the appropriate wage rates for a number of staff working in passenger services at Sydney airport.

“We have lodged a dispute as part of a standard process to formally raise the matter with Qantas, and will be meeting with them shortly to further discuss our concerns.

“We expect all members working at Qantas to be paid correctly and in accordance with the company’s agreements with the ASU.

“Should Qantas management not respond in good faith to resolve this issue and ensure our members are paid properly, we reserve the right to escalate the matter to the Fair Work Commission.”

In its letter, the union argues that “the function of Oscar/Departure A” needed to be reclassified to Level 5, which was previously reclassified to Level 4 in about 2008.

“As the ASU contends the function has been misclassified, the ASU also seeks back pay for any affected employee who has been incorrectly classified at ASU Level 4 or any substantive ASU Level 3 who has fulfilled Oscar/Departure A functions through Higher Duties,” the letter said, requesting a response from Qantas by 5pm on Tuesday, October 3.

Qantas has received the letter and plans on working with the union to work through the matter, according to news.com.au.

This accusation comes after a rocky few months for Qantas. An ACCC investigation alleging the company deliberately sold tickets on cancelled flights, the early departure of Qantas’ former CEO Alan Joyce, allegations of government lobbying and exorbitant airfares have shook the national carrier as it attempts to claw its way back into the public’s favour.

The airline was also found guilty of illegally sacking almost 1700 heavily unionised workers during the pandemic.

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qantas The Australian Services Union NSW & ACT