Qantas chief salary 'ludicrous'

Qantas CEO continues to be paid while workers get peanuts

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Unity Water's CEO, Jim Soorley's annual salary of $365 000 [$1 000 daily], pales in comparison to Qantas' CEO, Alan Joyce's annual $multi-millions.15 000 Qantas employees are now unemployed, due to the pandemic shutdown of all domestic and international flights.

They join the already 2 million on "jobseeker" payment.Compare this to "Newstart", the Federal Government's anti-poverty welfare payment of $40 a day [presently doubled until September] with $1 000 a day, even more so for Joyce! Why should Qantas' loyal staff be paid "peanuts" or now join the unemployed, while their CEO continues to receive a ludicrous and unrealistic salary?Why should hard-working Unity Water customers now face a rise in the "daily supply charge", now over $2 a day, while it takes 500 consumers to pay Soorley's daily salary alone?This imbalance and inequity in our society, the obscene payments to administrators in every large corporation in our society, while the workers, including casuals and blue-collar employees are expected to face redundancy, unemployment or only part-time work, is the great divide creating discontent, disillusionment and poverty.This is tantamount to corruption and exploitation in times of crisis. Our Federal Government cannot just bail out every corporation and business in a recession which was unwittingly forced upon us all.The money which has escalated the national debt, had to be borrowed and someone in the future will pay the price. It is notable that none of the heads and hierarchy of these businesses offer to resign or accept a major reduction in salary to counter the fallout; politicians included. E. Rowe Marcoola

Originally published as Qantas chief salary 'ludicrous'