Qantas strike set to cause delays

[Bernie P]

Qantas strike set to cause delays
May 28, 2008 02:47pm

QANTAS passengers face possible delays tomorrow as hundreds of maintenance engineers stop work over a wage dispute.

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) federal secretary Steve Purvinas said workers in Sydney would stop work from 8am to midday (AEST) and from 6pm-10pm in Brisbane.

On Friday, workers will walk off the job from 8am to midday in Melbourne, he said.

Mr Purvinas said the industrial action would involve about 80 per cent of the 1500 members across the country and affect domestic and international flights.

However, he believed the impact on flights was likely to be minimal, as he expected Qantas to bring in replacement workers.

Mr Purvinas said they had been forced by Qantas to take industrial action after the company refused to allow employees to hold short feedback meetings on the progress of negotiations.

"We were left with no other option but to stop work to provide the much-needed feedback to our members," he said.

Mr Purvinas said it was unfortunate that negotiations had stalled.

He said Qantas had offered employees a 3 per cent wage increase, which had been rejected by employees.

"We find that grossly inadequate considering we haven't had a pay rise for two-and-a-half years, and inflation is well above four per cent," he said.

Mr Purvinas said that since the stop-work meetings were organised, Qantas had cancelled its meetings with the ALAEA.

"It was their decision which forced us to have the stop-work meetings on Thursday and Friday," he said.

Last week, Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said the airline offered fair pay and conditions, which were the best in the Australian airline business and among the most secure in the world.

He said that as well as the 3 per cent increase and 10 per cent superannuation contribution, engineers were in line for bonus payments or shares when company targets were met, which had amounted to $2000 last September.

Planned strike action earlier this month was called off after ACTU president Sharan Burrow intervened, saying the association would accept a rise of between three and five per cent.

Engineers hold considerable industrial power in the aviation sector because planes cannot fly without clearance from engineers.

Comment was being sought from Qantas.


Source: news.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23772358-29277,00.html)

[Brenden S]

About time they stopped work.

[Raymond Rowe]

Believe it when it happens.Heard this many times before from the ALAEA.All my years in the industry they have been full of a lot of NORTH WINDS.

[Marty H]

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,26058,23782152-27977,00.html

[Grant Smith]

Believe it when it happens.Heard this many times before from the ALAEA.All my years in the industry they have been full of a lot of NORTH WINDS.

Are you a believer now Swaggy?

[Philip Argy]

QF 764 ADL-SYD was std 1650 but TJG only achieved wheels up off RWY 23 at YPAD at 1745 with touchdown at YSSY on 34L at 1946. The strike was cited to pax as the cause of TJG's late arrival into ADL with consequential knock on effect of late departure.

[Chris Tully]

JQ30 from BKK to MEL sat on the tarmac after landing for 1.5 hours before it could dock at the gate.

A real shame.

[Philip Argy]

I really can't understand how any airline can do this to people. It is surely possible to get some stairs and let the passengers off somewhere somehow if that kind of delay is going to be involved.

The one the other day in Perth where people were kept aboard for 4 hours is even more incomprehensible to me.

We're not talking here about keeping people on board for safety reasons - these are just straight operational stuff ups that shouldn't happen.

You wouldn't leave someone stuck in a lift that long without calling the rescue squad!

[Mick F]

Yes, you're right Phil, you wouldn't be stuck in a lift for that long..... unless the lift people were on strike, just like this.

Maybe if Qantas would stop being so tight they wouldn't have this problem.

Really, is 5% much to ask for when they're still making such huge profits?

Mick

[Marty H]

Yes, you're right Phil, you wouldn't be stuck in a lift for that long..... unless the lift people were on strike, just like this.

Maybe if Qantas would stop being so tight they wouldn't have this problem.

Really, is 5% much to ask for when they're still making such huge profits?

Mick


Its not at all asking for too much, its where inflation is in the country 3% is a joke thats 10 yr ago wage increases in EBA's. Our costs have gone up as well in employers no matter who they are need to take that into account, I cant just add a surcharge or put my fares up when I want to to cover my increase in costs.

[Grant Smith]

You wouldn't leave someone stuck in a lift that long without calling the rescue squad!

Have you ever been stuck in a lift before? I haven't either, but I've been involved in the retrieval of people being stuck in lifts and I've had people stuck in there for 2 hours before the lift operators arrived.

Not much Police, Ambulance or Fire rescue teams can do without the lift operators being there... Especially if there's no immediate endangerment...

[Chris Tully]

For every dollar the price of fuel increase, it wipes approx 35 million dollars from Qantas' bottom line...

[Philip Argy]

Lawyer sues airline for ruining family vacation

A New York lawyer is suing Delta Air Lines for $US1 million, saying his family vacation turned into a nightmare after they were stranded in an airport for days and treated disdainfully by airline employees.
Richard Roth, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of himself and his mother, said he planned the Christmas 2007 trip to Buenos Aires to celebrate his mother's 80th birthday.
She had grown up in the city, but had not returned in years, he said.
Instead, Mr Roth, his two teenage children, his wife and mother spent three days in airports, went days without their luggage, were treated rudely by airline employees and were forced to spend $US21,000 on unused hotel rooms in Argentina, replacement clothes, and other costs.
"Through its gross negligence, malfeasance and absolute incompetence, Mr Roth holds Delta responsible for ruining his vacation," the lawsuit said, filed in New York state court.
Delta Air Lines had no immediate comment.

[Montague S]

http://www.watoday.com.au/national/strike-will-disrupt-qantas-flights-20080619-2t2o.html

no probs, just offer strike breakers $100,000 for 6 months work... :eek: me thinks someone has their head buried in the *** end of a 747 APU at QF HQ.

Strike will disrupt Qantas flights

* Ben Schneiders
* June 18, 2008

Qantas passengers will suffer flight cancellations and severe disruptions from Monday as the airline's licensed engineers begin an indefinite campaign of rolling strikes as part of a pay dispute.

Members of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association will walk off the job on Monday in Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns for at least four hours at each airport.

On Tuesday there will be strikes in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The strikes will then continue.

The action comes at a difficult time for Qantas, with the airline warning recently that its soaring fuel bill would prompt it to cut routes and hundreds of jobs, freeze executive pay and ground aircraft.

Late last month the union held three stopwork meetings, which grounded flights and caused delays for passengers. But the latest move has raised the stakes sharply in the dispute.

Qantas's head of people, Kevin Brown, said last night that there would be disruptions and cancellations after the union decision to escalate the dispute.

"We expect to fly the majority of our network and get people to their destinations on the day they chose to fly. [But] there will be delays and disruptions to customers due to the escalations in the bans and the strikes the [engineers] have imposed on us."

The national secretary of the union, Steve Purvinas, warned that the stoppages would continue until Qantas returned to the negotiating table.

"These stoppages will go on as long as Geoff Dixon denies his staff members a reasonable wage."

Qantas told the association this week that it did not intend to change its 3 per cent wage offer in response to the union demand for a 5 per cent rise. That followed meetings involving the airline, the union and the ACTU.

The union fears Qantas will move in strike-breakers as the dispute escalates.

Last month it was revealed Qantas was offering, through a labour hire firm, strike-breakers $100,000 for six months' work as aircraft engineers.

[Nigel C]

"These stoppages will go on as long as Geoff Dixon denies his staff members a reasonable wage."

So, what do they consider a 'reasonable wage'?

And what is the typical LAME at Qantas already on? I understand that there are different LAMEs specialising in different areas (avionics, structural etc), therefore probably quite a wide spread pay scale.

[Montague S]

So, what do they consider a 'reasonable wage'?

And what is the typical LAME at Qantas already on? I understand that there are different LAMEs specialising in different areas (avionics, structural etc), therefore probably quite a wide spread pay scale.

CPI adjusted is my guess...if they can afford $100,000 for however many engineers they plan on hiring for 6 months then surely they can afford a 2% pay increase for their current engineers?

[Nigel C]

That sounds more like you're saying a reasonable 'increase', not wage.

I thought they were going for a 5% increase?

[Montague S]

That sounds more like you're saying a reasonable 'increase', not wage.

I thought they were going for a 5% increase?

the current negotiations are stalled at 3% & engineers want 2% on top of that...

[Brenden S]

Last I heard that the engineers were happy for 3% but wanted some other conditions to make up the other 2% however Mr Dixon in all his wisdom said no. The LAME is Avionics and Mechanical split like this
Mechanical: Airframe and/or Engines
Avionics: Radio and/or Electrical and/or Instrument

Then on top of that you have the different pay levels from Level 1 to level 12 I think off memory, as well as Leading hand and Supervisor extra's. I can see what will happen is that Mr Dixon will say yes we will meet with you on monday if you call off the strike to save his bacon and still get no where. I am looking forward to the delays on Tuesday and Wednesday.....NOT.