Home » News » Sir Richard Branson weighs in on Virgin cabin crew pay disputes with link to Ansett’s downfall

11 December, 2023

Sir Richard Branson weighs in on Virgin cabin crew pay disputes with link to Ansett’s downfall

While in town to launch Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady in Australia, Sir Richard Branson was filmed last week at a Virgin Australia event weighing in on the looming threat of industrial action.

Last week, Over 1,000 Virgin Australia cabin crew voted in favour of a 24-hour stoppage unless the carrier makes a suitable offer while earlier this year, the carrier succumbed to the pressures of its ground workers and upped pay by 20 per cent.

In a video published by The Daily Telegraph, Branson can be heard likening the possible outcomes of strikes and continued industrial action to the downfall of Ansett in the early 2000’s.

“Managers have to manage for the long term to keep Virgin Australia going in five years, 10 years, 20 years,” he said in the video.

“Unions have to try to get the headline numbers in the short term.

“If one section of Virgin Australia goes too far, that means every other section’s going to have to go too far, and very quickly the same thing that happened to Ansett could happen to Virgin Australia.

“I’m just saying, it’s really important that these sorts of discussions, they should happen quietly, we should all be on the same page, we are one company, we should not be arguing publicly, we should be trying to get these things sorted out because otherwise we’re just playing into the hands of Qantas and Jetstar and (others).”

According to Virgin Australia, mediation talks are underway.

“On Friday, we met with both the TWU and FAAA, as part of a mediated process with the Fair Work Commission,” a spokesperson said.

“Those discussions were constructive, and will continue this week. We remain committed to a quick resolution that works for all parties.”

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