Demonstrators ‘pelted’ the home of Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce with eggs and toilet paper under the cover of darkness on Monday night in an apparent protest at the airline’s current performance and treatment of staff
There could be many culprits responsible for the attack including disgruntled passengers who are being forced to pay higher fares and getting disruption and mountains of lost baggage in return.
The airline is also at loggerheads with several employee workgroups, including ground staff and flight attendants over attempts to outsource work and cut pay and conditions.
Cost-cutting is being pushed through across Qantas but the financial impact of the pandemic didn’t stop Joyce from buying a new mansion in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Mosman Bay.
Joyce and his husband Shane Lloyd traded in an inner-city apartment in the Rocks for a palatial mansion valued at A$19 million. The purchase, along with the address, was revealed in May in updated property records that showed both Joyce and Lloyd as the registered owners of the six-bedroom property.
When the address was revealed, there were immediate fears raised that someone might target the property because of Joyce’s unpopularity amongst passengers and employees.
On Monday night, it appears a group of protestors lobbed the mansion with eggs and toilet paper, although the permanent damage was property.
The Transport Workers Union of Australia has mounted a high-profile campaign against Joyce, criticising the CEO’s decision to outsource workers at the height of the pandemic.
An Australian court has ruled that the decision to outsource workers was illegal but the airline isn’t backing down.
Local police say they have not received a criminal complaint about Monday night’s incident.
