With ongoing union and worker concerns being raised that the APA purchase of Qantas will lead to further job looses and the potential of further maintenance going offshore, Qantas CEO, Geoff Dixon met with Labor MP’s in Canberra this week and dangled the carrot in front of them that with enough investment and a satisfactory deal with unions, the maintenance of the airline’s new generation of Boeing 787’s and the Airbus 380’s could be undertaken in Australia, as could the current Airbus A330 maintenance now being undertaken in the Philippines by Lufthansa.
Mr Dixon along with APA and other Qantas executives met about 40 caucus members after holding a similar meeting with Coalition MPs on Monday, saying that Qantas was also firmly committed to its apprenticeship program.
Politicians remain worried about job losses and the level of debt that Qantas will carry under the bid, as APA’s offer is examined by the Foreign Investment Review Board.
Report by The Mole
