Qantas in turbulent public showdown with employees

“In the name of job security, they demand a say in running the company, they want to be paid for work that no longer exists due to new-generation aircraft, they want to retain outdated work practices,” he told the meeting.

What work? Auto Passport and check in readers? Those things never work right especially for international travel.

New generation air craft require higher maintenance and tech savvy staff.

Have said it before and will say it again. Unions in Australia will not be happy until they ruin industry, and the sooner workers wake up to this the better. By all means job security is important but to remain competative unions need to work with companies to remain in business. These constant pay and other demands are killing Australian businesses. Im tipping the next business we will be reading about is Toyota Australia as they are having the same issues as Qantas. Stupid union demands for higher and higher wages, the way things are going you can kiss goodbye to another manufacturing base in Oz.

The unions are fast to take money from their members (and threaten those that refuse to join) but do sfa when these pay rise demands cost members their jobs, they just role out the standard oh evil business heading overseas. And one wonders why.

Spidapig, you've got to be kidding? Oz workers are seriously under payed in relation to taxes they pay and interest rates make it near impossible to live in Oz. Also striking is illegal in Oz and you can go to jail for it so where does that leave the worker? It leaves them nearly powerless to demand more money and conditions while the executives are giving themselves outrageous pay increases. Most ozzies don't even realize they are living in a Socialist country that is labeled democratic. I hope the workers get a fair go. Even as a customer QANTAS ripps you off, they get you to pay full QANTAS fairs then code share you onto crappy JETSTAR with people paying 1/3 the fare. The worker here surely have a legitimate complaint.

WOW! 2 Aussies with 2 completely different views on the same Qantas problem! Who should I believe? Spidapig or Scooby?

Scoobydoo,

Couple of points for you, striking isnt illegal. You just need to apply to FWA to have it classified as protected action which is exactly what has happened in this case. So the Qantas strikes are entirely legal and no one is at risk of going to prison. You sound as though you have been reading the union handbook too much, maybe a little research first.

As for your other statement about Oz workers being underpaid what a joke. Most manufacturing jobs earn 60,000 per year plus, in fact l can name several that earn around the 100,000 mark for factory jobs and you claim underpaid. YEAH!!!

But please you sound like a typical union stooge with your claims of jail time, if dont correctly as the unions have in this case by taking protected action there is no risk of that at all. Can l suggest a visit to the FWA website as you seem uncertain of the workplace relations act

Marcelito,

So true about qantas workers, sadly it is the trend in oz for the unions to just demand more and more. Looks like now half qantas employees may lose their jobs if this continues. As for Toyota unions and company reached an agreement but it was rejected at a vote by employees, idiots are risking a lot

Interesting that nobody has commented about the CEO being awarded a 71% pay increase. Such an increase is bound to cause more anger amongst workers who are looking for an increase more in line with inflation. As far as I can tell, it's not the pay increases that have stalled negotiations, it's the demands for job security.

I don't get how anyone could call Australia socialist. At the same time, it is true unions have always crippled the economy but also true it is almost impossible to live on wages in Australia, hence the 20% living below the poverty line. Unions are working within a system that allows them to thrive.

I don't know about you all but I really want to read Scoobydoo's response to this whole Qantas mess and the unions etc..

I fully understand the right for people to take industrial action. I do not understand the logic of taking Industrial action during a world recession when finding business is hard enough. As an example 11 ago my wife and I were traveling BA when an industrial dispute caused us severe grief, since then I have never I repeat never travelled with BA again, who is the loser ?

There is a mechanism for striking but simply the fact that people have to ask to strike is not democratic. From the article it does not appear that the flight attendants are striking but baggage handlers etc. I also know Qantas employees and they are no way earning the 1000s that the flight attendants are being said to be earning. If a company is loosing money every week, where does the performance of that company vindicate a huge pay rise for Joyce? So go figure, there's no money to pay workers but there's money to pay give fat pay increases for under performing CEOs.

There are many who don't earn 60K/year and even then take out tax and then consider GST and then put interest rates for those who need to borrow money to buy homes and cars and you end up with under paid. One could also conclude that since this strike action is protected, they have a legitimate claim to strike. The whole idea of a person not having the right to say as an individual without the permission of a group that they are unfairly treated and are not going to work those conditions is ridiculous. May be I should rephrase my original comment, striking without asking the system is illegal.