"Fair Work decision means certainty for Qantas Frequent Flyers"

[thewinchester]

As some of you may have already seen, there's been an apology email to all QFF members this afternoon. A number of people have already received it, and for some it's still likely being sent.

A copy of this email is posted for the information for all interested parties.

Please remember that there are already threads going in other parts of the IR sub-forum which may already be relevant, so please ensure any discussion points relevant to those are posted to those threads accordingly.

Formatting in the email has been retained, and is not meant to indicate my emphasis or bias.

Hello thewinchester

Now that Qantas has resumed normal operations I would like to update you on what the recent decision by Fair Work Australia means for you.

I apologise sincerely for any inconvenience that you or your family experienced during the grounding of the Qantas fleet between Saturday evening and Monday afternoon.

The decision to lock out some of our employees was an immensely difficult one and one that I did not want to have to make. But it was a decision that we were driven to by the industrial action of three unions, together representing less than 20 percent of Qantas employees.

As of last Friday, industrial action by those unions had forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights, disrupted 70,000 passengers and cost Qantas $68 million. Two union leaders had warned that industrial action could continue into next year.

This would have had a devastating effect on our customers, on all Qantas employees and on the businesses which depend on Qantas services.

On Saturday, I came to the conclusion that this crisis had to end. I made the decision to proceed with a lock-out, the only form of protected industrial action available to Qantas under the Fair Work Act, so that agreement could be reached quickly.

Unfortunately, it was necessary as a precautionary measure to ground the fleet immediately after the announcement that a lock-out would take place. While I deeply regret the short-term impact of the fleet being grounded, following the Fair Work Australia decision we now have absolute certainty for our customers. No further industrial action can take place. No more aircraft will be grounded and no services cancelled as a result of industrial action.

You can now book Qantas flights with complete confidence. This is an immeasurably better situation than last Friday, when Qantas faced the prospect of ongoing disruptions, perhaps for another 12 months.

We have now moved into 21 days of negotiations with each of the unions with the assistance of Fair Work Australia. All parties will be treated equally in order to reach reasonable agreements. If this cannot happen, binding arbitration will take place to secure an outcome. We will respect whatever decisions are reached.

Regardless of how and when the agreements are reached, the period of uncertainty and instability for Qantas is over. We are moving forward and putting this dispute behind us.

Our focus now is on our customers. We want to restore your faith by returning our on-time performance to its normal high levels, continuing to invest in new aircraft and lounges and ensuring the best possible in-flight experience.

The end of industrial action means we can concentrate on what matters – getting you to your destination on time and in comfort, offering the best network and frequency of any Australian airline and rewarding your loyalty as a Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Thank you for your patience and for your continued support of Qantas.


Alan Joyce
CEO Qantas Airways

 

[TheInsider]

Now for AJ and the others to engage with all their employees.

 

[Vinny]

I read it and it thought what a weak try at PR. I'm currently in the business lounge hoping to get out of Singapore after being stuck here since Saturday.

If a union wants to strike to make their cause known it takes weeks and notice needs to be given. The QF board just decides it, after consultation it seems with the opposition - Hockey and co and it's all OK and legal.

I received no phone call, email or carrier pigeon to say QF management had shut down the airline. Bloody pathetic. And rude.

The QF staff here have been abused, sworn at, threatened, shouted at, and who knows what else. All because of a bunch of over paid stuffed shirts on the QF board decided so.

Joyce's email is the first I've heard from QF since the action they took. I only found out about it when I decided to check emails and news before I left SIN after arriving earlier in the day. The QF staff here knew nothing about it until they got to work. It has no sincerity at all.

If workers asked for a 71% rise in pay what cough would pursue. AJ just gets it for being the messenger of the board.

If this is his way of apologising and explaining this situation that he has brought on passengers it's meaningless.

Those that got a free lunch at Qf's expense at a media event may feel warm and fuzzy about them but those like me are so p!ssed off and with good reason.

My gold QFF card is in a bin in a hotel.

 

[TheInsider]

I received no phone call, email or carrier pigeon to say QF management had shut down the airline. Bloody pathetic. And rude.

Very hard to send thousands and thousands or text messages for 100's of flights at once.

 

[Vinny]

Very hard to send thousands and thousands or text messages for 100's of flights at once.

QF should have thought about it before the event. Joe Hockey and co certainly knew about it.

Just another example of how QFf management treats its staff and customers.

 

[YQY]

Very hard to send thousands and thousands or text messages for 100's of flights at once.

it's possible - the technology exists --> SMS Access Manager - Telstra Enterprise & Government

 

[Vinny]

An addendum to my above post.

Have been stuck here in SIN which is one of my least favourite cities anywhere. While I have been told to wait a few days for an available flight, for the last two days QF have been offering for sale on their website seats to BNE and SYD. No seats it seems for those who have already paid. We will just cop it, it seems. Just seats are available for those willing to pay for a new seat.

Appalling.

Adding an edit here for a response from QF rep Redroo who has been absent from this forum for some time. If I was representing QF I would be absent as well..

 

[Alanslegal]

I hear ya' Vinny

Just for reference, as a WP I received the same email as my five year old NB nephew [who will have his 240 loyalty SC's wiped off thanks to Qantas' changes to their loyalty bonus. My nephew, my sister and her family have only been flying Qantas to/from Australia-Singapore annually but thanks to these reduction changes, 240 loyalty sc's now mean zilch. Times this by their family of four and that 960SC's goes down the drain thanks to QF].

 

[medhead]

Yeah qantas tried this "we had to make the hard decisions" line when they rang me about my refund and compensation. Sorry but I just don't want to hear it. I see both sides as being at fault and I'm not interested in being dragged in. This applies to management messages (while refunding me) and also pilots messages (which I've had once and which resulted in me going back to iPad. Great not using IFE)

Btw I haven't had the email yet. But my "space available" upgrade came through tonight.

 

[stomplad]

Very hard to send thousands and thousands or text messages for 100's of flights at once.

It's QF's responsibility to make sure they have the resources to do it before taking action. I agree their actions shows a disregard for customers as well as staff.

 

[stomplad]

An addendum to my above post.

Have been stuck here in SIN which is one of my least favourite cities anywhere. While I have been told to wait a few days for an available flight, for the last two days QF have been offering for sale on their website seats to BNE and SYD. No seats it seems for those who have already paid. We will just cop it, it seems. Just seats are available for those willing to pay for a new seat.

Appalling.

I have seen the same thing said domestically as well. How is this possible, can anyone explain? To keep delayed customers waiting while seats are available for sale seems a bit of an FU to loyal customers

 

[straitman]

I have seen the same thing said domestically as well. How is this possible, can anyone explain? To keep delayed customers waiting while seats are available for sale seems a bit of an FU to loyal customers

Have you asked Qantas?

That is where I would start.

 

[browski]

Have you asked Qantas?

That is where I would start.

I asked Qantas why this was so.
They replied that it was due to something called "Yield Management".

I yielded at that stage.

 

[admin]

As published in today's Crikey

Academic Virginia Lee got the same email, and sent one back to the CEO. No doubt Joyce hasn’t got around to reading it, so we reproduce it here:


Dear Mr Joyce,

Firstly, thank you for the update on the events as they are unfolding. But I have to advise you of the following issues that have arisen due to your recent action. While these are my personal opinions only, I must also advise that they are widely held by my colleagues in the University system and those I work with in the commercial world of practice, here and overseas.

1. I am a gold frequent flyer due to my loyalty to the Qantas brand and the fact that it is staffed by Australian pilots and serviced in Australia. I have always been willing to pay more for this surety. Your action has completely undermined this

2. Your unilateral decision to place so many people’s lives in chaos and uncertainty is unforgiveable — any loyalty to the operations and ongoing existence of Qantas as an Australian entity is trashed.

3. Despite your assurances I now have little confidence in being able to travel where I want — and while I am not entirely sympathetic with the unions I was prepared to wear the inconvenience while things were being played out through the appropriate channels. Due entirely to your actions I am currently instructing all my future travel to be arranged through Virgin Australia and via alternative international carriers. I will not be travelling on JetStar or JetScare as it is known as I’m over being treated badly.

4. We hear that you are making big losses on international routes. I have had multiple overseas journeys with you over the past few years and not once have I been anything but jammed in to fully booked planes — how can this be that you are making losses — can it be poor management decisions? I have to travel economy in the University system and I suffer for it. The time when I couldn’t fly with you due to scheduling issues, was with Cathay Pacific which was far more comfortable. Despite this I elected to remain with Qantas. Now I see no further reason to do this. You will trash the airline whether we support Qantas or not. I regard this as the Board’s and your agenda.

5. Your expansive pay rise voted in in the middle of industrial action and in the face of Occupy movements around the world in relation to corporate greed and insolence smacks of an organisation only in touch with the big business end of town and not your paying customers. As a public relations exercise this was disastrous and lost you even more support at grass roots level.

There is more but I know this will be another waste of time as I consider that Qantas management is so out of touch with the everyday existence of their customers that you will see I come from a University, brand me as left wing and ignore my opinions.

I see this is sent on a do not reply email — so even in response we customers have no voice. I have tried to find an email to send this back to you with little luck so I will send to others to see if they can find a way through your one-way firewall. Please do not email me again.

Best of luck with the future dismantling of our once great carrier and Australian icon

You’ve lost me

Yours sincerely

Professor Virginia Lee

"I have tried to find an email to send this back to you with little luck so I will send to others to see if they can find a way through your one-way firewall."
I'm hoping that Red Roo will see this and pass it on to Alan Joyce

 

[Anna]

As some of you may have already seen, there's been an apology email to all QFF members this afternoon.

I still haven't received an email, but I got a personal call this morning from 2 QF managers from my main airport who spent 20 minutes discussing my QF customer satisfaction level in detail with me. It wasn't the usual platitudes from the Customer Care reps, it was a discussion with people who actually have the power to take action.

Good start to fixing the damage, QF. As a result, today I made a trans-Pacific booking with QF and not with VA as I had thought of doing.

 

[browski]

I still haven't received an email, but I got a personal call this morning from 2 QF managers from my main airport who spent 20 minutes discussing my QF customer satisfaction level in detail with me. It wasn't the usual platitudes from the Customer Care reps, it was a discussion with people who actually have the power to take action.

Good start to fixing the damage, QF. As a result, today I made a trans-Pacific booking with QF and not with VA as I had thought of doing.

So what did they promise to change for you?

 

[dfcatch]

As published in today's Crikey




"I have tried to find an email to send this back to you with little luck so I will send to others to see if they can find a way through your one-way firewall."
I'm hoping that Red Roo will see this and pass it on to Alan Joyce

Seems to be that she answered her own query.....

Bout time academics started paying for travel on their own dime IMHO

 

[amaroo]

As published in today's Crikey

I will not be travelling on JetStar or JetScare as it is known as I’m over being treated badly

Funny every time I've had to fly with J* (within Australia) I swear they been staffed & serviced with the same type of Aussie she bangs on about in her first point.

 

[Pushka]

My first reaction on receiving that email was to reply also, asking if I would be compensated for having to work on a Saturday evening to rebook our all company people who were due to fly out to New Zealand the next day for work activities. And then I saw the address "[email protected]"

That made me even angrier.:evil::evil:

Bout time academics started paying for travel on their own dime IMHO

Why? Since when do employees pay for their work travel?

 

[JohnPhelan]

The QF staff here have been abused, sworn at, threatened, shouted at, and who knows what else. All because of a bunch of over paid stuffed shirts on the QF board decided so.

There is no excuse for anyone abusing, swearing, threatening or shouting at QF airport staff.

I hope that, when you witnessed this, you did something to pull those people into line.

That sort of rude yobbo behaviour must not ever be tolerated.

(And I also hope those same people had their tickets cancelled, or were at the very least put at the end of the queue for rebooking).