TWU STATEMENT ON VIRGIN CREDITORS’ REPORT

The Transport Workers’ Union welcomes the administrators creditors’ report on Virgin as another milestone for the airline.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the TWU would consult Virgin workers over the coming days ahead of a vote on September 4.

“Today is another significant day for Virgin and its thousands of workers. The creditors’ report details the promises Bain Capital has made in its proposal to take over Virgin and will be voted on next week. We will meet workers and discuss the next steps. Our focus remains on making sure workers and the travelling public are at the forefront of planning for the airline’s future. We remain united with other Virgin unions on this aim,” Kaine said.

“Virgin will be successful if the skills, experience and dedication of its workers are recognised as a valuable asset not an expense. We want to work to ensure that the Virgin’s sale is not simply a financial transaction but a community transaction, recognising that it will affect future generations of Australians,” he added.

“We will hold the Federal Government to account over its failures on Virgin. It has provided little direction or assurances on the future despite the fact that tens of thousands of jobs are dependent on Virgin getting back up and running. The Government continues to resist calls to implement a national plan to save jobs and businesses as the future of aviation remains entirely in the balance,” Kaine added.

Thousands of redundancies have been announced at Virgin and Qantas while thousands more are in doubt because of the Federal Government’s decision to shut aviation workers out of the Jobkeeper Payment whose companies are owned by foreign governments.

Aviation workers have endorsed a national plan they want the Federal Government to implement which would see it take a greater role in regulating the industry, including: equity stakes for struggling businesses; ensuring workers are paid the same rate for the same work; making safety a number one priority; ensuring all airport workers stood down have access to Jobkeeper; and capping CEO pay.

A survey from May shows 70% of aviation workers have been stood down from their jobs with almost 40% stating they have no income. Over 1,000 cabin crew, airline caterers, cleaners, baggage handlers, ramp workers, security officials, refuellers and drivers responded to the survey with almost 30% stating they have had to access their superannuation to get by. Almost half of respondents are worried they won’t be able to support their families throughout the crisis while 20% say they are worried they will lose their house.