The Transport Workers Union yesterday filed an application for a general protections dispute with Fair Work Australia that seeks to reverse a recent decision by Qantas to bar all women from 47 new permanent positions created at Sydney Airport.
Qantas recently replaced 67 temporary positions with 47 permanent staff after it merged its cabin cleaning and ground handling operations at its international division.
The TWU will argue that Qantas indirectly and directly discriminated against the 14 sacked female employees because Qantas froze all the women out from retraining while male employees were offered that opportunity, and subsequently hired.
“I’ve been working faithfully for Qantas,” sacked worker Jessica Wang said. “We thought we would be rewarded with a permanent job, Qantas has slammed the door on us.”
TWU National Secretary Tony Sheldon said the move illustrated a cascading culture of impunity in Qantas.
“Where is the accountability at our national airline? The airline’s growing culture is one where they believe they are not accountable to the law, not accountable to employees, not accountable to passengers, and not accountable to shareholders.
“Qantas is running a bubblegum HR operation: employees are chewed up and spat out.
“These fourteen women, these breadwinners for Australian families, are bravely standing up for women at Qantas and every woman in Australia.
“The Australian community will not tolerate their mothers and sisters and daughters being thrown on the scrapheap simply because they are women.
“In denying justice to these women, our national airline stands condemned before the Australian community.”
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