Claims planes won’t be cleaned because of Qantas job cuts

THE fight over job cuts at Qantas is getting dirty with a union claiming the airline has told cleaners to only clean the front of planes.

THE fight over job cuts at Qantas is getting dirty — perhaps literally — with a key union claiming the struggling airline has instructed aircraft cleaners to only clean the front of the plane to save money.

The Transport Workers Union Queensland claims Qantas plans to reduce interior plane cleaning crews from six to three, and to restrict cleaning to first and business classes and the first nine rows behind them.

“This management has turned this company upside down, and now they want their paying customers to sit in an uncleaned space,” TWU Queensland state secretary Peter Biagini said.

“Any Qantas customers seated beyond row 14 will have to put up with dirty nappies and rubbish in their sea pockets, dirty seas and uncleaned tray tables.”

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Qantas spokeswoman Sharna Rhys-Jones denied the claims, which include that each aircraft will only receive a full clean once a day.

It comes as Qantas has started sacking workers in Sydney as part of the struggling airline’s bid to axe 5000 jobs.

The company confirmed on Wednesday that a number of senior management had lost their jobs.

Unions say they are extremely disappointed after a meeting with Qantas over the flying kangaroo’s spending cuts failed to yield any answers.

“We are extremely disappointed that the company has taken this approach,” ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said following the meeting in Sydney.

Mr Oliver said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce provided “no clarity” on where the 5000 job cuts are going to come from.

The ACTU asked whether any jobs could be saved if employees were to find a way to drive more revenue into the business or agree to a wage freeze or cut.

“And the answer we got back was no,” Mr Oliver said.

The airline also confirmed today it was moving many employees from full-time to part-time work.

Transport Workers Union national secretary Tony Sheldon said this would push some workers below the minimum wage.

“It’s the Flying Kangaroo with its heart ripped out,” he said.

Qantas recently announced a $252 million half-year loss and detailed its $2 billion cost-cutting exercise.

The government has revealed it wants to repeal the section of the Qantas Sale Act that governs foreign ownership, paving the way for majority international ownership of the airline’s domestic arm. Labor and The Greens oppose the move and say it will lead to Qantas jobs being moved offshore.

Mr Oliver said he had failed to receive a commitment from Qantas about separating the domestic and international arms.

Qantas chief financial officer Gareth Evans said the jobs losses were regrettable.

“And it is extremely tough on those who leave and on those who stay,” he said in a statement.

Mr Evans said the meeting addressed the wage freeze and Qantas explained it was not appropriate to give pay rises in the face of significant losses.

“The wage freeze will help return the company to profitability,” he said.