Qantas announced this afternoon it is set to post a record $2.48 billion full-year profit for the 2023 financial year.

The Guardian reports that this forecast is almost $1 billion higher than the airline’s previous profit record of $1.6 billion in 2018.

 The airline attributes its skyrocketing profits to surging demand for travel, lower fuel prices and steadily resolving supply chain issues. The union movement knows otherwise – this has been driven by Qantas gaming the system.

Quotes attributable to ACTU President Michele O’Neil:

“Qantas workers know that a huge share of this profit is the result of outsourcing their jobs to multiple companies, and that Qantas has set up labour-hire companies, enabling the airline to drive down wages and conditions for the benefit of outgoing chief executive Alan Joyce and Qantas shareholders.

“Qantas customers know that standards have fallen dramatically, with constant flight delays and lost luggage, all because good, secure jobs were outsourced to drive down wages and conditions, hurting both workers and customers.

“The Australian people know that Qantas took $2 billion of taxpayers’ money during 2020 and 2021 under cover of the pandemic then unlawfully sacked 1700 workers.

“When a company can record a $2.48 billion profit during a cost-of-living crisis, we know corporate greed has reached unacceptable levels, particularly when it depends upon undercutting secure jobs and not paying workers properly.

“It is time the government closed loopholes to protect Australian workers against Alan Joyce’s business model. If two workers at the same company are doing the same job, they should be paid the same amount – nothing could be simpler or fairer than that.”