Qantas accused of ‘bullying’ tactics over crew fatigue concerns
Unite the union has accused Qantas of trying to silence ‘legitimate’ health and safety concerns from crew following the introduction of the new 17-hour flights between London Heathrow and Perth.
The new direct route, launched in March, means an average duty period of 19 hours for the 10 cabin crew on board each 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The union says it has raised concerns with Qantas that crew, who are all UK based, can only expect to receive an average rest of 25 hours in their hotel before being back on duty for the flight home.
According to Unite, Qantas’ cabin crew UK base manager Dannielle Morgan has sought to dismiss concerns over fatigue, saying crew are just taking time to ‘transition into new flying’.
It also claims ‘open and transparent’ conversations between Unite and its members about these concerns have been described by the base manager as ‘unreasonable union activity’.
Unite regional officer Lindsey Olliver said: "While the future of flying is likely to centre on ultra-long haul operations, Qantas has a responsibility to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of its passengers and cabin crew continues to be of paramount importance.
"This simply cannot be compromised in the pursuit of profit for an airline with one of the best safety records in the industry.
"Qantas cabin crew must be provided with adequate rest down route between sectors to ensure they are fully able to complete their safety critical functions without impairment whilst operating on-board an aircraft.
"A key element to this must include a ‘just safety culture’ that allows crew to discuss safety concerns, wellbeing and fatigue, free from threats and the fear of reprisals.
"I urge Qantas in the UK to engage with Unite and listen to its workforce rather than resorting to bullying anti-union threats when dealing with legitimate safety concerns."
Unite is calling for Qantas to change its rota by stopping its current trip length ‘trial’ in favour of a 5-6 day trip pattern.
A spokeswoman for Qantas said: "Making sure our crew have enough rest is important to us and something we’re used to managing given our experience with ultra-long flying.
"These crew had previously been operating around seven hours of flying between London and Dubai, so we’re conscious there is a period of adjustment.
"Safety is always our main priority and we’re committed to working through any concerns constructively."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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