A day after Qantas announced a profit before tax of $552 million in the year to June 30, unions are set to take industrial action, disrupting the flight schedules of thousands of passengers.
Safety engineers in Sydney were walking off the job for an hour today. Melbourne engineers will stop work for a similar period tomorrow.
Baggage handlers and ground staff could begin striking within 48 hours following a union vote heavily in favour of industrial action.
Meanwhile, the Qantas pilots’ union, AIPA, has responded to comments by the airline’s CEO, Alan Joyce, who explained yesterday why Qantas must have a stronger presence in Asia – including a new Asia-based airline – to rescue its loss-making international operations.
In a statement carried on Ben Sandilands’ Plane Talking website, AIPA president Captain Barry Jackson said on the evidence available, it appears a significant shift of Australian Qantas operations to Asia is completely unjustified.
“Mr Joyce’s rationale for disassembling a beloved Australian institution is crumbling by the day.
“Qantas is a brand with an enormous future in this country. It needs a leadership that recognises that and is capable of working constructively with pilots, engineers and other Qantas staff to build on its hard-earned reputation.
“Enormous damage is being done to the cherished Qantas brand through talking down its achievements and deliberately antagonising its workforce,†Capt Jackson said.
