Airbus engineers asked to give up work boots for back pay

Aircraft engineers reject ‘boots for back pay’ offer as enterprise bargaining negotiations with Airbus take a bitter turn.

A C-130 Hercules at RAAF base Amberley. Picture: Defence

Aircraft engineers previously offered a free pair of pants in lieu of a pay rise now claim employer Airbus wants to trade their boots for back pay.

The 100 engineers maintain the air force’s fleet of C-130 Hercules aircraft at Richmond RAAF base and are employed by Airbus Australia Pacific.

Negotiations for a new pay deal began last year, with engineers rejecting a “pitiful” offer of a 7.5 per cent rise over three years.

A second offer, which included an extra pair of pants, was voted down in June and the Australian Workers Union said Airbus was now willing to pay more if employees gave up their boots and first aid allowance.

The cost of work boots was traditionally covered by the employer and a first aid allowance paid to those with recognised qualifications so they could act as first responders in an emergency.

AWU NSW branch secretary Tony Callinan said he was gobsmacked by the company’s attempts to use clothing as a bargaining chip.

“Usually in negotiations we talk about annual pay rises, overtime arrangements and the like,” Mr Callinan said.

“I’ve never seen a company so obsessed with clothing, offering pants one minute, asking workers to give up boots the next.” He said such sacrifices would come at the cost of workplace safety.

The Australian Workers Union says Airbus is obsessed with clothing after initially offering engineers free pants in exchange for a pay rise then pulling their boots’ allowance.

“Asking workers to trade away an entitlement that encourages a positive safety culture shows the type of disregard Airbus Australia Pacific have for their workforce,” Mr Callinan said.

An Airbus spokeswoman refuted the AWU claims, and said it was workers who had proposed the removal of boots and first aid allowance. “Safety is a top priority at Airbus, and in no way will we compromise on this,” she said.

“During the dialogues, employees proposed the removal of boots and first aid allowances, which we agreed to while ensuring ongoing workplace efficiency, safety and operational compliance. We reject any suggestion that the company is seeking to compromise employee safety through any trade-offs in this negotiation.”

She said Airbus was committed to an open and constructive workplace dialogue but had “unfortunately exhausted all efforts to achieve a resolution with employees based in Richmond”.

“We have now sought the … Fair Work Commission to help resolve the matter through conciliation,” she said. “Airbus remains committed to working with our employees in Richmond to provide a positive and fair enterprise bargaining agreement in challenging conditions.”

Mr Callinan said Airbus had now locked the workers out of the Richmond base in response to the escalation of the dispute.

He added that engineers at other RAAF bases such as Brisbane, Oakey, Townsville, Darwin and Holsworthy in Sydney were paid more than those at Richmond.

The C-130 Hercules military aircraft are the workhorse of the Australian military, transporting cargo and troops all over the world.

Originally published as Airbus engineers asked to give up work boots for back pay