Talks fail to resolve threat of Virgin Christmas strike

Crisis talks in the Fair Work Commission have failed to resolve the threat of industrial action by Virgin cabin crew during the busy Christmas holiday period.

Crisis talks in the Fair Work Commission have failed to resolve the threat of industrial action by Virgin cabin crew during the busy Christmas holiday period.

The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) said crew had resolved to continue negotiations after some progress was made in the talks on Friday but more needed to be done to reach a resolution. More negotiations are now scheduled for the middle of next week.

The TWU said cabin crew had for months been raising concerns that included back-to-back rosters forcing them to skip rest breaks and battle fatigue.

Virgin pilots return to the bargaining table on Monday to discuss a return to pre-pandemic hours and pay. Ground crew recently settled an agreement with more full-time jobs, better hours for part-timers and classification levels reinstated, lifting pay by as much as 20 per cent for the most experienced workers after pandemic settings disbanded seniority levels. 

Christmas strike threat

TWU national assistant secretary Nick McIntosh urged Virgin to attend talks next week prepared “to fully address the concerns its workforce raised for months.” “Progress was made today, but Virgin needs to do better,” said Mr McIntosh.

The airline is owned by US investment firm Bain Capital, which bought it in August 2020 when it was in administration. There is speculation that the long negotiations stem from Bain Capital preparing for the carrier to be relisted on the ASX.

“With Bain Capital pulling the strings from overseas, the fortune they stand to gain from an IPO must not get in the way of reaching a fair outcome,” he said. “After more than a year of cabin crew raising concerns about unsustainable rostering, and six months of negotiations to correct pay and conditions, it’s disappointing there’s still no resolution.

“We all wanted today’s crisis talks to give certainty to workers and passengers that protected industrial action would not be necessary over the Christmas period but Virgin hasn’t yet committed to fully lifting emergency settings.

A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the discussions were constructive and the carrier remained “committed to a quick resolution that works for all parties.” Virgin Australia has made an offer to the Flight Attendant’s Association of Australia and the TWU valued at $50 million over three years.

The TWU’s Mr McIntosh said that if terms and conditions are not restored, high turnover and fatigue-related absenteeism would continue, with “service standards doomed not to return to pre-pandemic levels. “Next week we will continue discussions with Virgin in the hope that a fair outcome can be achieved before Christmas,” he said.

The TWU protected-action ballot closed on Monday, with 99 per cent of participating Virgin cabin crew voting in favour of industrial action unless an agreement can be reached to improve pay, job security and work-life balance. There was a 90 per cent participation rate, with 99 per cent voting yes to 24-hour stoppages. The average across all possible actions, including shorter stoppages and overtime bans, was 98 per cent in favour.

Virgin Australia crew want better conditions,