ASU keeps on fighting for fair and safe roster

Your collective effort has paid off! Qantas employees have voted in favour of the proposed new Australian Services Union (Qantas Airways Limited) Agreement 13. This is a significant achievement that reflects the strength and unity of ASU members across the airline.

The improved offer from Qantas was a direct result of your willingness to stand together and take protected industrial action. Through your engagement and determination, we secured important gains, including:
  • Higher pay in Year 1 for Levels 1–9, plus increased bands for SPs.
  • Nil48 payments are a huge win for Qantas workers. Under the new agreement, any shift changed within 48 hours will now attract time and a half for the entire shift, and agreed changes will also be paid at one and a half times the normal rate. This outcome is significant because Qantas had previously secured a legal position on this issue at the Fair Work Commission, and through collective bargaining and member action, we have forced them to give up that legal position. Winning back this entitlement is a major achievement—congratulations to all members who made it happen.
  • Withdrawal of Qantas’ RIP claim, except for optional preference-based rosters if the majority of a group wants it along with other protections.
The next step is lodging the agreement with the Fair Work Commission for approval. Once the Commission certifies the agreement, these improvements - along with back pay and additional increments - will come into effect.

Thank you for your patience and commitment throughout this process. Your national negotiating delegates have worked hard to ensure the agreement accurately reflects what was achieved at the bargaining table and delivers real benefits on the ground.

Summary of EBA Offer – Pay and Conditions:
  • 1 July 2025 = 3% (back paid) + increment adjustment to classification level approx. 2%+ , 1 July 2026 = 3%, 1 July 2027 = 3%, 1 July 2028 = 3%. See attachment for further details.
  • Job security commitments, including protections against outsourcing, extended to 30 September 2029.
  • Level 1 and Level 2 moved to Level 3.1, lifting training rates and pushing classifications higher.
  • A 15% increase to the buddy allowance and 3% increase thereafter.
  • For Level 3 and 4 employees:
    • 15% loading for day shift extension hours and
    • 10% loading on day shift hours when multi-start allowance is paid.
  • New full-time Level 3 roles in Airports are offered on seniority at port.
  • Long Service Leave: Automatically approved in Airports and Lounges when six months’ notice is given, when using three months of accrued leave.
  • Improved transparency and oversight on rosters, including:
    • Leave line reporting by port.
    • HDA role reporting where roles exceed 12 months.
    • National Roster Committee for Freight members, and consideration of other workgroups where requested.
  • Secondment limits: In Airports and Lounges, part-time to full-time secondments will only be allowed to backfill another employee, stopping the long-standing practice of rolling two-week secondments and ensuring proper full-time roles are established.
  • Improved support for employees with reproductive health issues.
  • Improved support for employees who have experienced a miscarriage or still birth.
  • Annual leave cash-out: Employees can now cash out up to 2 weeks of annual leave each year, while keeping a minimum 4-week balance.
  • Regional Movement Control Officers equal pay: Level 7 duties now include MCOs in Adelaide, Darwin, and Canberra, aligning all regional MCOs at Level 7 for equal recognition and a higher classification.
  • Senior Professional Group improvements:
    • Bottom of range increased by 5%.
    • Annual gender pay equity review.
    • SP1 overtime now calculated at bottom of SP1 rather than Level 9.
    • SP2 penalty rates now calculated at bottom of SP2 rather than SP1.
  • Nominal expiry date of 30 June 2029.
  •  
Which rostering claim from Qantas was successful?
  • Optional Preferential Rostering. However, we negotiated stronger protections for roster groups: Full-time and part-time employees vote in separate blocks, with protections for opt-in/opt-out participation and enhanced ASU oversight, giving members more control over how rostering operates. An opt-in process will only occur where requested by the work group.
  • CLAIMS WITHDRAWN: RIP is RIP. 10-hour shifts for part-time employees, which risked undermining overtime and full-time role opportunities, and split shifts via shift gifting.
All members of The Services Union at Qantas can take credit for having achieved this outcome. If you work with someone who is not yet a member, now is the time to remind them to join.