Virgin Australia cabin crew vote for 24-hour stoppages as TWU mulls over latest offer

With Christmas looming, Virgin Australia cabin crew have moved closer to industrial action despite the company having a $50m offer on the table.

The Christmas holiday plans for tens of thousands of travellers are up in the air after Virgin Australia cabin crew voted overwhelming in favour of stoppages as the airline has a $50m offer over three years on the table.

The Transport Workers Union’s protected action ballot closed on Monday with participating Virgin cabin crew voting 99 per cent in favour of 24-hour stoppages unless an agreement can be reached to improve pay, job security and work-life balance.

If there was no agreement it could spell cancellations and delays across the country over the holiday period which is expected to be one of the busiest for years.

However, Virgin Australia spokesman acknowledge cost-of-living pressures and said they have put a substantial offer on the table which provides real relief.

“Virgin Australia has made an offer to the FAAA (Flights Attendants Association of Australia) and the TWU valued at $50m over three years,” he said.

“This equates to nearly 40 per cent of our first year profit in 11 years. It includes base salary increases of at least 15 per cent and for some the base salary will be up to 32 per cent above award minimum rates.

“It is disappointing the unions have yet to commit to any meaningful concessions to what are a patently excessive set of claims.”

The TWU said the airline’s latest revised offer does not go far enough and Virgin has held out on key job security provisions to protect employees against work being outsourced to casuals or contractors, while fatiguing rosters remain unaddressed. There will be more talks on Tuesday.

Virgin Australia cabin crew voted overwhelmingly for 24-hours stoppages ahead of the holiday period.

The ballot on Monday received a 90 per cent participation rate, with 99 per cent voting yes to 24-hour stoppages, while the average across all possible actions including shorter stoppages and overtime bans was 98 per cent in favour.

The result meant cabin crew have obtained rights under the Fair Work Act to take protected industrial action, pending a three-day notification to Virgin Australia, owned by US investment firm Bain Capital which purchased the company in August 2020 after it was in administration.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said the result put the ball in Virgin’s court to come back to the table with a reasonable response to workers’ concerns.

“Protected industrial action is always a last resort, but after three difficult years of wage freezes and punishing rosters to see Virgin roar back to profit, this vote shows that workers have reached the end of their tether,” he said,

“It’s time for owners Bain Capital to show workers their concerns are understood and fix key issues driving high turnover and chronically low morale.

“Hollow words from executives in virtual town halls when respect is not being shown in action at the table is adding insult to injury as the busiest time of year approaches.”

The TWU said Virgin refused to provide the full results of a staff morale survey to cabin crew, but admitted satisfaction with working conditions and pay received one of the lowest scores, while work satisfaction would reportedly improve with work-life balance improvements to rosters and leave processes.

The Transport Workers Union is leading calls for Virgin Australia cabin crew and ground handling workers to be paid more as they begin enterprise bargaining negotiations.

FAAA’s Teri O’Toole said they were giving Virgin until Wednesday to come back with an offer that better reflected the effort of the 1200 cabin crew.

“The company is now in back in profit and want to float and that's why people are so unhappy. They’ve been remarkably underpaid for the work they do. If cabin crew are forced into a corner they’re left with no other choice but to take protected industrial action,” she said.

Originally published as Virgin Australia cabin crew vote for 24-hour stoppages as TWU mulls over latest offer