Australia’s once-beloved national carrier has been savaged in a fake ad aimed at the airline’s treatment of employees and travelers. Qantas has been savaged in a satirical advertisement for the once-beloved national carrier.
The airline’s treatment of employees during the pandemic and current drop in standards has drawn heavy criticism. In the fake ad aired on ABC’s 730, comedian Mark Humphries styles himself as a Qantas pilot welcoming passengers aboard.
The video hits out at staff lack affecting the airline after it fired thousands of employees during the pandemic. Having stood down roughly two-thirds of its 30,000-strong workforce, the airline also pocketed $855 million in job keeper from the Aussie taxpayer.
On Friday, Qantas offered to pay its employees a one-off bonus of $5000, along with permanent wage growth of two percent to “share the benefits of its recovery”.
Unions slammed the tactic and called for the bonus to be paid to all workers, including 2000 found by the Federal Court to have been illegally let go.
In 2018, Qantas boss Alan Joyce was told to have brought home $24 million, which he attributed to the airline’s strong performance. Mr. Joyce’s salary is since believed to have shrunk to around $2 million post-pandemic.
Union National Secretary Michael Kaine said
Transport Workers Union National Secretary Michael Kaine said under Mr. Joyce, “Qantas has led a years-long war on employees to control the decline in wages and conditions in aviation”.
During the pandemic, the airline’s debt level spiraled to $6.4 billion, but with the recovery of air travel, has shrunk to $4.0 billion and the company states it is on track to return to profit in FY23.
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The ad also heavily poked fun at a wellness festival reportedly attended by Qantas executives in April this year as travel systems buckled under the return of passengers.
Intended as a means of luring employees back to the office, the festival is told to have included daily events including yoga, Zumba, and pilates.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce blamed chaos at airports as passengers returned as a sign of them not being “match fit” – a comment he later back-pedaled on to blame security staff lack.
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