Workers have criticized the “malignant” decision to hand over millions of dollars in bonuses to Qantas executives during flight cancellations and lost luggage.
Unions have criticized Qantas for handing out millions of dollars in bonuses to executives while the airline is hit by flight cancellations, delays and lost luggage.
In a statement to the ASX in June, the company announced it would reward four executives with shares worth more than $ 4 million, despite the chaos of ongoing travelers.
The announcement comes as Qantas draws strong criticism for its poor performance, which caused the OAG aviation analysis site to rank Qantas in 92nd place out of 130 airlines for punctual performance.
OAG data reveals that the domestic airline had more than one in three flights delayed in June and more than 7% of flights were canceled in May.
The federal secretary of the Association of Licensed Aircraft Engineers of Australia, Steve Purvinas, said executives do not deserve bonuses after Qantas ’poor performance.
“The airline is being destroyed by these people,” he said.
“They shouldn’t receive any bonuses. They should be fired.”
Purvinas blamed the disruption on the shoulders of executives, whom he blamed for passenger and staff problems.
“I spoke to Qantas staff today and the fury in the store is increasing by the hour,” he said.
“There will be no Qantas if their mismanagement continues.”
If they meet performance targets, Qantas chief financial officer Vanessa Hudson could receive $ 1.15 million in shares, Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans would receive $ 1.22 million, the national and international CEO of Qantas, Andrew David, $ 1.15 million and the executive director of Qantas Loyalty, Olivia. Wirth would have shares worth $ 985,000.
Bonuses will be paid in August 2023, although Evans has since resigned.
The company will also reward about 20,000 eligible non-executive employees with shares worth an estimated $ 5,000.
Executive bonuses came to a halt during the last two years of the pandemic, during which Qantas received $ 2 billion in government funding to stay afloat.
The airline, led by CEO Alan Joyce, fired thousands of workers in a widely condemned measure that was deemed illegal. In May, Qantas lost an appeal to the Federal Court, which upheld the decision that the outsourcing of the 2000 charges had violated the Fair Labor Act.
National Transportation Workers Union Secretary Michael Kaine said the bonuses “rub salt into the deep wounds” of former staff.
“This is a disgusting betrayal of illegally fired workers, disrupted passengers and Australian taxpayers whose support the airline supported while executives made cruel decisions that destroyed lives,” he said.
“Qantas executives have turned a beloved former airline into a national disgrace and Alan Joyce is paying rewards.”
Kaine said the multimillion-dollar bonuses were a “bribe” to force executives to pressure workers to accept “poor conditions.”
A Qantas spokesman defended the bonuses and said all employees shared the company’s success.
“These are outrageous statements from the unions and completely ignore the fact that we intend to reward the contribution of all Qantas and Jetstar employees if the Group successfully fulfills its Covid recovery program,” they said in a statement.
“These unions know that since 2015 we have paid more than $ 300 million in bonuses to our front-line staff.”
However, Purvinas rejected the response arguing that bonuses have historically been announced but not paid.
“A $ 2,000 bonus was announced in 2018. It has not yet been paid to licensed aircraft engineers four years after it was announced,” he said.
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