Qantas unions fear axe to fall on up to 3000 jobs

Date
    February 22, 2014


Qantas' heavily unionised workforce fears up to 3000 job cuts will be announced next week when the airline's management reveals how it plans to strip $2 billion in costs out of the business.      :(      

The looming job losses come amid a high-stakes lobbying campaign by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, who has been seeking financial assistance from the Abbott government.

The airline warned in December that it will slump to a half-year loss of up to $300 million, and detail the extent of job cuts which it said at the time will be at least 1000 this year.

But well-placed sources said on Friday they believed the job cuts - likely to include engineers and pilots - would be in the thousands. ''It will be big and ugly,'' one said. While they could not put a definite figure on the cuts, sources said they would be ''pleasantly surprised'' if it was less than 2000 or 3000.    


Qantas would not respond directly to questions of how many jobs would go but put out a statement late on Friday noting a ''series of unsubstantiated and unsourced rumours swirling around ahead of our half-year results, ranging from estimates on job losses to route changes''.

The airline has denied rumours that it would reduce A380 services to London.

Mr Joyce warned last week that there were more ''hard decisions'' ahead for Qantas. He has emphasised that the cost cuts he will have to make are greater than those made by the much larger American Airlines when it was placed in bankruptcy protection in 2011.

He is under pressure from investors to reveal a credible way of cutting costs when he unveils Qantas's half-year results next Thursday, a day before Virgin Australia reports.

''If they are going to cut costs, jobs will be a big part of that,'' an analyst said.

Fairfax Media reported last week that the Abbott government was preparing to throw Qantas a lifeline in the form of a debt guarantee, similar to the assistance provided to the banks during the global financial crisis.

Mr Joyce has been lobbying Coalition MPs and assistance for help, but Virgin Australia and Regional Express have demanded the government provide them with help if it offers their larger competitor assistance.

Australian Services Union national secretary Linda White said that with 33,000 employees at Qantas, speculation was rife about what the company could announce next Thursday.

But she said her union, which represents the largest bloc of about 9000 Qantas workers, including ground and check-in staff, telephone sales, IT and some middle management, would fight for every job at the airline.

"This is all speculation,'' Ms White said.

''We don't know the facts yet, we have strong enterprise bargaining agreements and we will fight for every job. We will see what happens next week.''

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers' Association president Steve Purvinas said he had heard rumours on Friday that anywhere between 1000 and 10,000 jobs may be cut at the airline.      :(

Mr Purvinas said this was a deliberate strategy to create uncertainty about the airline's future. ''But for Qantas to return to profitability they only need to make one person redundant: Alan Joyce,'' he said.      ;)

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/qantas-unions-fear-axe-to-fall-on-up-to-3000-jobs-20140221-337k8.html#ixzz2tysxu400

Well it's been the Leadership of the little Irishman that has brought QANTAS to where it is today.
Obviously some people thought his vision and ideals were good for the company.

Grendel wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2014 at 5:50am:

Well it's been the Leadership of the little Irishman that has brought QANTAS to where it is today. Obviously some people thought his vision and ideals were good for the company.

... and the unsustainable demands of unions! >:(

Seems like the carbon tax is working well for Qantas.

All of the above...

Qantas has been in trouble for a long time but the thug unions still demand higher and high unsustainable wages...

So the only thing left open to Qantas now is to move services offshore...

Carbon Tax is the last thing they need as well....

Yet again the final nail in the coffin thanks to the utterly shameless Labrat/Greentard coalition...

If he people of WA have a brain they'll deliver every available senate seat to the liberals as its the only way we'll be able to try and starve off more closures by getting rind of the carbon tax....

I also fear its too late for a lot as the 6 years damage by the Rat/tardy coalition has be far more damaging than anyone first thought... >:(

Can you show proof of your anti-union claims please.
I know people who work for QANTAS; ground crew, hosting and maintenance and they've never had a problem with their wages and conditions,nor have management made issues about it, the only real issue over the last decade has been, that maintenance was going O/S and the quality was in their opinion not up to scratch.  Remember too that QANTAS has expanded greatly and keeps buying new product to support this expansion.

The only problem Qantas has is the angry dimwitted Irish midget running the show  ;D

geez he union will lose 60 grand a week in union dues if 3000 get sacked, that's 3 million a year no wonder the union is stressing, they couldn't give a tinkers cuss about the workers, but now that they are losing union dues they are really worried.

Unions want have any members inside 10 years because as I have been saying for the best part of 5 years, this country is stuffed. Bit by bit brick by brick, we are falling apart

Joyce will take Qantas international off shore and leave Jetstar to do the domestic routes, He can then employ Asian flight crews on $10 an hour with no allowances just a flat $10 an hour if that??