Australian workers employed by foreign-owned companies could miss out on the federal government's wage subsidies, potentially forcing thousands onto the dole queue.
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Dnata, which provides 90 per cent of catering for airlines in Australia, is owned by Emirates Group.
The company on Tuesday told its 5500 workers in Australia they will not receive JobKeeper and instead should apply for JobSeeker, which is $400 a fortnight less.
Transport Workers' Union national secretary Michael Kaine has written to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg asking him to urgently examine the loophole.
"This is a devastating blow for thousands of workers in Australia who have been assuming up to now that their jobs were secure and their income was certain because of the JobKeeper payment," Mr Kaine said.
"Not only will this hurt workers in Australia it will also hamper efforts to get air travel back up and running when restrictions lift, impacting on our economy."
Universities are also concerned about the JobKeeper rules after changes were made to eligibility criteria last week.
They will have to demonstrate a 50 per cent drop in turnover between January and June compared to the same period last year.
Other organisations are allowed to choose any month or quarter between April and September.
Innovative Research Universities executive director Conor King said the treasurer had reframed the scheme six times, with the latest change appearing to cut out all universities.
"Universities have turned with every twist of the knife, only to be left to heal ourselves each time. This seems to be the final twist of the knife," he said.
Australian Associated Press
