Budget carrier Jetstar reportedly fired one of its pilots for calling management attention on safety and workplace concerns, with the dismissed employee airing his gripes on a news article printed out by Fairfax publications.

According to the Australian and International Pilots Association, first officer Joe Eakins was unceremoniously sacked for publicly hitting on his employer but Jetstar authorities maintained that the dismissal was based on a number of violations that the pilot had committed in relation to the conditions of his employment.

However, Mr Eakins insisted that his firing was wholly caused by the article he penned, in which he scored Jetstar's safety and workplace policies as he added that he resorted in going public since the airline management turned a deaf ear on his complaints.

Also a union representative, Mr Eakins wrote that Jetstar's newly-implemented scheme of promoting its pilots could impact safety standards as it ignores the concept of seniority and takes away the sense of security, which could prevent flight officers from flagging safety concerns for fear of losing their jobs.

The news article also questioned the wisdom of Jetstar's decision to transfer a number of airline employments to Singapore, and raising such concerns, according to Mr Eakins, was simply a part of his right as an employee to air valid company issues and does not warrant for his undue separation.

Notwithstanding, Jetstar management appears adamant on its decision as the company claimed that the discharged pilot not only disregarded his employment's contract conditions but also damaged the airline's reputation when he made his public statement.

Jetstar Australia and New Zealand chief executive David Hall clarified that Mr Eakins violated his contract's confidentiality clause when he opted to release statements "that were in contravention of Jetstar's code of conduct against his individual employment arrangements."

Mr Hall added that Jetstar gives premium to safety concerns of its employees, even stressing that "we actively encourage people to make statements that are constructive and appropriate into the safety and reporting systems," which he claimed was the same principle observed by the company in dealing with the issues raised by Mr Eakins.

Despite the pronouncements from Jetstar management, the country's pilots group is insistent on lodging the case to Fair Work Australia as association head Barry Jackson expressed alarm that the airline is punishing an employee, whose only fault is to make a case on the company's safety standards.