Qantas employees win fight over pay downgrade

Staff at Q Catering challenged Qantas after it abolished a higher role classification, paying them of hundreds of dollars less each week while they continued to perform essentially the same duties.
 
“This is the third failed attempt by Qantas to take from hard-working employees who have had to endure pay freezes and the sacking of thousands of their colleagues. These employees have brought the airlines back into profit and they do not deserve this kind of treatment,” said Tony Sheldon TWU National Secretary.
 
Qantas previously tried to stop staff meal allowances and uniform laundry allowances, only to be over-ruled by the Fair Work Commission after evidence by employees and the TWU.
 
“This win is about fairness. Q Catering staff stood together and faced down this move by Qantas to take from their pay checks. These employees have mortgages, bills to pay and families to support – it is not acceptable for them to be paid less while their company makes billions of dollars in profit,” Sheldon added.
 
Mark Godwin, a Q Catering employee at Perth Airport, gave evidence that the move to downgrade his pay while he performed the same duties, “does not warrant $300 a week cut to my wages”.
 
“For the 10 years I completed the supervisory role as a level eight my duties remained similar or the same. As a level six I complete substantially the same role with a few minor changes in terms of operational reporting lines,” said Adam Vanderplank, Q Catering employee at Perth airport, in a witness statement.