Jetstar and Qantas employees will be affected by domestic coronavirus border closings for approximately 2,500 Qantas workers. This is a move that unions criticised as being made one day after the government announced a wage support package.Most importantly, domestic pilots, cabin crew, and airport workers will be laid off, although they won't lose their jobs.Alan Joyce, Qantas' chief executive, anticipates that borders will remain closed for at most two months more due to the knock-on effect of greater Sydneys ongoing Covid-19 lockdown and crisis.Two weeks notice will be given to employees who are being laid off and they will be paid until mid August.This announcement comes just days after the Morrison government announced a $100m program that would help domestic airlines keep their employees through border closures and lockdowns.Domestic airlines can claim $750 per week from the government scheme if they show a 30% decline in their business since Sydney was designated a national hotspot. They cannot retrench workers.Joyce stated that Qantas workers who have been laid off include 2,500 domestic and 6,000 international operators. They will receive different levels of support through either Covid or the new scheme.Although he stated that engineers will not be stopped because they are necessary for maintenance of planes, he also acknowledged that outsourced ground workers wouldn't be eligible for payments after the Federal Court ruled against Qantas' legality.Register to Receive the Top Stories from Guardian Australia Every MorningAlthough this is not something we want to do, Joyce stated that they were now facing extended periods of reduced flying, which means no work for many of our employees.He said that Qantas had been able to absorb a substantial amount of costs as a result. They continued to pay their staff full salaries despite cancellations of flights.We know that once borders are reopened, travel is at top of people's minds. Flying tends to return quickly so we can get our workers back to work.Joyce spoke out later Tuesday morning at a press conference, defending the decision to remove the staff given the substantial government support that it received during the pandemic. This support is expected to exceed $2bn.Joyce stated that the reporting of government support was misleading. He explained that the majority of the funding came from jobkeeper payments and repatriation flights, as well as ongoing freight services, which he claimed benefit the economy.He stated that the airline was still developing its vaccination pass and it intended to offer frequent flyer rewards and prizes to customers who get vaccinated.Joyce admitted that it was not certain that international flights will resume within the December deadline it had set.BREAKING: @Qantas will be laying off 2,500 workers - hours after @Qantas was announced that a wage subsidy had been approved by the Fed Govt.This is not a country that has a government. This is the Republic of Qantas Australia TWU Australia (@TWUAus), August 2, 2021The Qantas decision has angered the unions. Transport Workers Union tweeted that the Qantas announcement Tuesday on Tuesday and the timing of the government's wage subsidy meant the package was tailored for the airline.The union stated that this is the Republic of Qantas.Qantas was operating at less than 40% of its domestic flight schedule in July, from almost 100% in May.Last year, over 20,000 employees were laid off.
