Virgin warned over bathroom farce raises safety concerns

A “failed experiment” forcing Virgin crew to stop economy passengers using business class bathrooms has raised alarm.

Exclusive: Virgin crew have been forced to physically prevent economy passengers from using business class bathrooms after “a failed experiment” to remove cabin dividers from its planes.

The security concern comes after an investigation by this masthead exposed claims that young and inexperienced workers were put into unsafe working conditions.

Employment Minister Murray Watt issued a stern warning on Tuesday to the airline to put “people before profits”, saying “aviation workers have a right to be safe at work”.

Mr Watt, whose portfolio also covers workplace relations, said he was extremely concerned by reports of the poor treatment of workers after the airline was bought by US investment firm Bain Capital.

“Profits can never be considered more important than worker safety, and every business has a responsibility to ensure that their workers are safe,” he said.

“It’s important that Virgin appropriately addresses the concerns raised in recent media articles. Aviation workers, like all workers, have a right to be safe at work.”

Employment Minister Murray Watt issued a stern warning on Tuesday to the airline to put “people before profits”, saying “aviation workers have a right to be safe at work”. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Workplace conditions and culture at Virgin Australia, which has denied turning a blind eye to risks, have come under intense scrutiny since a 21-year-old air hostess was allegedly raped by a fake Fijian farmer on New Year’s Day.

The airline went into administration owing about $7bn during Covid before it was bought by Bain and sacked about 3000 workers.

Deteriorating working conditions then triggered an exodus of experienced workers before the airline started hiring young and inexperienced workers under a brutal cost cutting regime.

This masthead has been told cabin crew have been forced to fly planes with malfunctioning airconditioning, Wi-Fi and refrigeration despite making formal reports about the plane issues.

The poor flight temperature, patchy internet and warm food has led to Virgin workers copping complaints from irate passengers.

Another decision that has contributed to passenger hostility towards crew was to remove the cabin dividers between economy and business class.

Without the cabin dividers, Virgin crew have been instead forced to tell economy passengers they are not allowed to use the bathrooms at the front of the plane.

Deteriorating working conditions then triggered an exodus of experienced workers before the airline started hiring young and inexperienced workers under a brutal cost cutting regime. Picture: Supplied

Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine branded the decision to remove cabin dividers between economy and business class as “a failed experiment” that needed to be reversed as soon as possible.

“Cabin crew already have demanding roles as aviation’s first responders — the least they deserve is a safe workplace,” he said.

“TWU members have been patiently consulting with the company on this issue for longer than necessary and now they are expected to wait too long, which means continuing to deal with unsafe situations in the meantime.

“Virgin’s first priority should always be the safety of its staff and it needs to ensure cabin dividers are urgently reinstalled to protect crew and passengers.”

A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the cabin dividers had been removed as part of $110 million refurbishment program and about 39 planes were due to be refurbished in 2025, which include installing new dividers.

“Virgin Australia is currently progressing with a $110 million cabin refurbishment program,” said the spokesperson.

“This program includes new business class seats, new or refurbished seats in economy class, in-seat power for every guest, and Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment enhancements across our 737 fleet.

“It will also include the introduction of a new cabin divider between business class and economy.”

Originally published as Virgin warned over bathroom farce raises safety concerns