Hundreds of stood down Qantas members are going back to work in Brisbane

Qantas has just announced its Brisbane Base Heavy Maintenance (BHM) workforce will be returning to full-time staffing levels this coming Monday.

 

It’s fantastic news for members of the AWU and other Qantas Engineers Alliance unions and their families and a clear demonstration of the critical role the union backed JobKeeper program has in keeping the economy going.

A further 70 contractor positions have also been announced and mainline Qantas staff are being given the opportunity to take up these positions first.

It’s an incredible turnaround from a month ago when Qantas announced the BHM would drop down to just one hanger day shift resulting in half of the 600+ workforce being stood down on rotating leave.

But, from next Monday (April 27) BHM will resume its full operation with all members back fully employed.

Qantas has been able to deliver this outcome due to a slight increase in domestic flights, an uptick in freight flights and required long maintenance planning. The situation will be reviewed in four weeks time but Qantas management have told the Alliance Unions they are hopeful this arrangement will last over the longer term.

The JobKeeper (JK) package has also played a crucial role in Qantas decision making. The AWU has lobbied hard at a Federal level for the introduction of this essential program and worked closely with Qantas so it could be rolled quickly and smoothly.

Qantas has confirmed to the Alliance Unions that all COVID-19 precautions will be in place.

We hope for more good news for Qantas workers as we move forward.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the communications Qantas sends you, please contact your union delegate or organiser.

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