Qantas worker stood down over coronavirus claim

Qantas employee stood down for telling colleagues it was unsafe to board an aircraft that had returned from China.

Qantas flight carrying Australian evacuees from coronavirus-hit Wuhan touches down in Learmonth. Picture: 7 News

Qantas has stood down an employee pending an investigation for telling cleaners they could contract coronavirus working on aircraft returning from China.

The worker, a Transport Workers Union delegate, is alleged to have advised colleagues it was unsafe for them to board the aircraft after flights from Shanghai and Beijing.

Those who did refuse to board received letters ordering them to “follow reasonable and lawful directions” and perform their duties.

“The risk of aircraft workers contracting coronavirus as a result of working on aircraft is negligible,” said the letter.

“In these circumstances and with the information available to you, you cannot reasonably be concerned that working on aircraft originating in China, would expose you to a serious risk to your health or safety, or that there is a risk of immediate or imminent expose to coronavirus.”

The letter also pointed out that personal protective equipment was available to workers.

‘Doing his job’

The TWU demanded the worker be reinstated immediately, saying he was a trained health and safety representative who was simply doing his job.

New South Wales branch secretary Richard Olsen said it was concerning that airport workers “on the frontline of this virus outbreak” were being threatened, intimidated and stood down from their jobs, rather than being supported and given the protections they needed.

“We call on Qantas to immediately reinstate the worker who has been stood down and to withdraw letters of intimidation to people who expressed concerns about working on flights from China,” Mr Olsen said.

“This is not a time for using bullying workplace tactics.”

Qantas medical officer, Dr Russell Brown, said employees would never be asked to work in unsafe conditions.

“The TWU knows full well that the risk of aviation workers contracting coronavirus as a result of working on an aircraft originating from China is very low. I briefed them on the situation last week,” Dr Brown said.

“Our medical team is in regular contact with health authorities and is receiving the latest advice from Australia’s chief medical officer and the World Health Organisation.”

He said additional protective measures were in place on flights from China to further reduce the risk of employees contracting coronavirus.

“We are providing them with regular updates on the latest health advice,” said Dr Brown.

Deep clean

Meanwhile the Boeing 747-400 used to evacuate 243 Australians from Wuhan on Monday has already returned to service.

The superjumbo, registered VH-OEE operated a flight to Tokyo Haneda last night, after returning to Sydney early Tuesday morning for a “deep clean”.

On Monday Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the cleaning process would take three days.

Further evacuations of Australians in China are expected in coming days and weeks.

Qantas will temporarily halt flights to and from China from Sunday, February 9.

Sydney-Shanghai services are expected to resume in late March, but Qantas will not keep flying Sydney-Beijing due to poor business class demand.