Jake Nelson 
In a letter to Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson, ASU assistant national secretary Scott Cowen noted recent comments by Hudson at the Macquarie Australia Conference this month regarding cost reductions and the integration of AI across the Qantas Group.
“These statements make clear that AI deployment at Qantas is not speculative – it is an active program of major workforce change, directly linked to cost reduction and headcount impacts,” he said.
“The ASU recognises that technological change can deliver operational benefits. However, the approach reported to be outlined publicly by Qantas – linking AI adoption to cost reduction and headcount reduction – raises serious concerns about the impact on secure employment and the long-term sustainability of the aviation workforce.”
The union is seeking “urgent engagement” with Qantas on current and planned AI deployments; anticipated workforce impacts; and how Qantas will meet consultation obligations and protect any affected employees.
“Aviation is a business that’s powered by hard-working people. The premium service Qantas passengers expect is built on the expertise of our members, not the efficiency of an algorithm,” said Cowen in a statement.
“We are seeking an urgent meeting with Vanessa Hudson to ensure that this rapid AI push is used to support and augment our highly skilled workforce, rather than being used as a high-tech smokescreen for further job slashing and a reduced customer experience.”
“It is deeply concerning that while Qantas is publicly celebrating the ‘limitless’ potential of AI to investors, they have refused to enshrine basic workforce protections and consultation requirements in our recent agreements.”
As reported in The Australian, Hudson told the Macquarie conference last week that the AI plan would help Qantas increase efficiency and is not merely about “headcount reduction”.
“We see so many use cases that unlock value not just for reduced costs but to deliver better revenue outcomes and better operational outcomes,” Hudson said.
“We’ve had a team of three who spent four weeks developing for Qantas an AI tool that combines schedules with maintenance records, with rosters, with weather patterns, connected to customer transfer information, and it comes up on a daily basis with a prediction of on-time performance.
“It directs both our integrated operational centre and our airport teams, and that’s had three to four points of on-time performance improvement since it started.”
Hudson’s presentation followed the job cuts at Qantas’ head office earlier this year, which the airline denied were a bid to replace workers with AI.
“After the airline already removed 400 head office roles this year, our members need more than corporate buzzwords – they need concrete guarantees that AI won’t be used to further erode job security or work intensity across the airline’s operations,” Cowen said.
“If Qantas is seeing measurable improvements in on-time performance thanks to new technology, that productivity dividend should be shared with the workers who deliver those results, not used solely to reduce headcount.
“Consultation must be genuine and proactive; our members should not be learning about the future of their own roles through media reports from the Macquarie Conference.”
Qantas has been contacted for comment.
This article was originally published on Cyber Daily’s sister brand, Australian Aviation.
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