AGENTS have called for
intervention in order to
achieve a fair ADM resolution
process this month.
The outcry for stronger
representation has followed
a surge in ADMs for large
amounts being distributed to
individual agents.
Over 50 respondents voted
yes to a poll introduced by
Gail Allan Lutz, owner of
Destinations Perfect, on
Facebook group Open Jaw
last month to gauge interest
in the introduction of a
trade union in the industry.
Gail advised that, while
she currently worked for
herself as an ITC, the three
recurring industry issues
that consultants complained
about were ADM billing,
lack of overtime pay and
maternity benefits. However,
when TNW contacted
responding agents for
comment, the key issues
that were highlighted related
more to a revision in airline
ADM dispute policies rather
than to violations of labour
law requiring trade union
intervention.
Tracey Braithwaite Kojetin,
owner of TTS Travel, and
Karen Adams, owner of Easy
Access Travel, agreed that
agents were left exposed
due to ADM billings. Both felt
that a form of representation
was needed in the industry
that would stand up to
airlines about these policies,
although they were unsure
whether a trade union
would be the best channel
to address these specific
concerns.
Tracey highlighted the
airline practice of sending
out ADMs and then
immediately debiting funds
from an agent’s next BSP
billing, suggesting instead
that agents should have 30
days to dispute the ADM
before the debit. “Often
airlines do not even bother
to reply to our emails and
agents are left out of pocket,
regardless of whether they
were at fault or not,” she
said. “What happened to
the premise of innocent until
proven guilty?”
Otto de Vries, ceo of
Asata, felt that the call for a
trade union in the industry
was possibly a knee-jerk
reaction from agents to the
current increase in ADMs
that employers were holding
them personally responsible
for. “Asata has already raised
concerns with Iata over the
matter of ADMs, as we feel
that the current enforcement
of the resolutions pertaining
to ADMs puts agents on the
back foot. Revised wording
for these resolutions has
already been proposed to
Iata and will be discussed in
Geneva next week.”
Regarding consultants
being held personally liable
by their employers for ADMs,
Otto advised that a good
place to start would be for
consultants to first review
the employment contracts
they had signed and to
discuss terms that they were
unhappy with directly with
their employers.
Likewise, ITCs should first
refer back to the terms of
the ticketing contracts they
had agreed to.
Not all agents are
convinced a union is
necessary. “I work for a
great company that really
looks after me,” said
Roxanne Botha from
Pentravel. “It has been years
since I last received an
ADM and, in the event that
one does come through, I
know that Pentravel will do
all possible to dispute it
on my behalf. Based on my
experience I can’t say that a
trade union is necessary in
our industry.”
