Qantas dispute

[Ned Kelly]

Following a lengthy dispute between baggage handlers, engineers, pilots and Qantas management, the airline has taken the extraordinary step of locking out all workers and grounding flights indefinitely.

[GatesofLenin]

Let's see how long the execs can keep the company running on 0$ a day.

[Ned Kelly]

It's all part of a big ploy by management to claim 'Oh..costs too high, unions sucking us dry, we need to outsource EVERYTHING!'

[GatesofLenin]

It's all part of a big ploy by management to claim 'Oh..costs too high, unions sucking us dry, we need to outsource EVERYTHING!'

Idiots, this is exactly the reason I don't fly.

[Systematic]

"The 4 million-strong International Transport Workers' Federation has promised solid support for locked out Qantas workers globally and roundly criticised the airline's management."

"In response to the shock move today by CEO Alan Joyce to ground the Qantas fleet, lock out its unionised workforce and strand passengers around the world, ITF General Secretary David Cockroft said that the airline's workers wanted to keep the flag flying - and that this goal was supported by workers globally.

Qantas had locked out its workers because they opposed changing the nature of the Australian flag carrier and drastically downgrading standards and working conditions, the ITF said. It was the workers who gave Qantas the real "Spirit of Australia", Cockroft insisted. "Defending standards and safety is what Qantas is all about - and it's what this dispute is about."

"Ordinary people in Australia and ITF affiliates around the world won't have the wool pulled over their eyes by a management that's driving through perilous changes and making workers and shareholders pay - while they take a good share of the profits for themselves," he added.

Cockroft said transport workers internationally would support their Australian colleagues because a downwards spiral in conditions would impact on the industry globally.

The London-based Federation's Australian President, Paddy Crumlin of the Maritime Union of Australia expressed outrage at Qantas's CEO's behaviour - made all the more extraordinary given the Qantas chief yesterday had his 71 per cent pay rise endorsed at the company's annual general meeting in Sydney, taking his annual pay to $5 million AUD. Not only were Qantas's 530 Au$ profits threatened by the lockout - but so was Australia's economy, he said.

"Alan Joyce is holding Australia to ransom. We all know his history at Ryanair and now he's trying to unfairly punish Qantas workers. He may see this as an investment to break the unions, impose new conditions and outsource operations to other countries in Asia without having to deal with its employees - but our national economy will be the real victim" Crumlin declared.

Tony Sheldon, National Secretary of the Transport Workers Union, also an ITF affiliate, said today's action was designed to destroy Qantas as we know it.

"Make no mistake, Qantas has always wanted this dispute. They trained strike-breakers 9 months ago to do the work of TWU members. They have never wanted to resolve their employees' claims. Never. Our claims have been to gain job security for the next enterprise bargaining agreement and a negotiable pay rise."

(posted on the maritime union of australia's website)

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well its on now! the Throughout history, management have tried scare-bully tactics to get their way, but time and time again... they FAILED.

From the shearers strike, to the eurika stockade, to the workchoices battle, the union movement has won the day- and they will win against qantas and its right winged cronies

[ZeroNowhere]

It'll be interesting to see which way this swings on a PR front.

[Systematic]

It'll be interesting to see which way this swings on a PR front.

comeon, they'll blame the unions for sure, the murdock press will be loving this dispute, another excuse to blame the working class for everything.

Many people are 'blaming qantas' for this stuff up, but you still run into people who claim: "unions should back down! i work hard for my pay and so should they!"

[Niccolò Rossi]

It'll be interesting to see which way this swings on a PR front.

Seems to be clearly against Qantas actually. Alan Joyce rewarding himself with an over $2 million dollar bonus shortly before definitely hurt them.

In more recent news, Fair Work Australia has suspended all industrial action in order to facilitate negotations between the union and Qantas.

[Ned Kelly]

All aussies on this board try keep tabs on this collectively and get the updates out there..would be a good thing.

[Systematic]

now you have rumors that abbott and the libs knew about the lockout in advance.... I'm not surprised one bit if it's true.

[kashkin]

It's unfortunate that most of the criticism against Qantas is the damage this has done to the economy, not the fact that workers are getting screwed.

[Systematic]

well qanta$ getting blamed for anything, i feel, is a good thing :P

[SemperFidelis]

Anyone mind shedding some light on the subject?

[kashkin]

A number of unions (Transport Worker's Union, Engineer's Union and one other, pilot's union maybe) are striking over a mixture of pay rises, working conditions and job security. There were negotiations until around last Friday or so but then they broke down. Then Qantas locked its workers out on Saturday (I think). The rhetoric hasn't been as anti-union as I expected, though it obviously is to a large extent.

Also, just to highlight Alan Joyce's hypocrisy, the board awarded him a ~70% pay rise just weeks before the lock out, despite the AGM voting against it. So much for libertarians and their ideas about consumers and workers controlling companies through holding shares.