Do your homework before placing all your eggs in the Tony Abbot basket.
To start with Abbot and Hockey have been EMPHATIC in supporting the QF move to off-shore -despite job losses, loss of once No. 1 Airline, loss of national flag carrier, loss of skilled pilots/engineers impacting on future training (Virgin is still small fry), the list goes on- all for assest stripping and risky Asia plans.
If you do your research you will note that the most actively involved MP's advocating for QF management to open the books and stop playing funny games, are either from the Greens (whole party but esp, Adam Bandt IR), Labour (i.e. Glen Sterle) or Sen Xenophon (Senate Inquiry:Safety and training & the current SI: QSA).
Believe me I've spoken to most of them, and the Liberal's are all singing from the same nasty prayerbook. In other words, you can take your jobs and get stuffed 'cause we support a tarted up version of Work Choices.
Now before jumping on PP and typing about how much you like looking at Tony Abbot in budgie smugglers, do some research then get back to me.
Is any creedence given to the fact that chairman Sterle and member Gallacher received free accommodation from the TWU and didn't declare a possible bias to the inquiry in that they "owed" the TWU something for such favours? Maybe this is why they appeared so hostile. If they had declared their patronage at the outset, this suggestion would not have been possible.
Yep, and it's described as a "Qantas-style lockout" of nurses by some publications.
Didn't take the union busters in other industries long to follow the Leprechaun's example
Quote:
If you mean Qantas provoked the government to invoke a provision of FWA to bring a dispute to a head, I think he has admitted publicly he did that and that was what he intended.
Now some time has passed, it is interesting to view this video although not directly about Qantas the comments are very interesting. Makes me wonder if Freehills are also advising the Victorian Government.
The Bracks Government is paying thousands of dollars a day for consultants to co-ordinate its tough campaign against public sector union pay claims.
Unions believe their addition has helped create "a wall" that has stymied negotiations at the Government's predetermined limit of 2.25 per cent, plus another 0.75 per cent for productivity.
The impasse led directly to the statewide strike on Wednesday of most state school teachers and a large proportion of the Catholic system's teachers.
However, the Community and Public Sector Union - one of three public sector unions in negotiation for a new wages agreement - is expected to agree to a 13.5 per cent wage increase over 43-44 months.
The CPSU advised its members yesterday to hold off on scheduled industrial action by its workers in the juvenile justice area, with negotiations believed to have progressed ahead of a Tuesday meeting at the Industrial Relations Commission.
But the two remaining industrial disputes, with nurses and teachers, still appear to be far from over. The level of pay rises, teachers' working conditions, nurse-patient ratios and low pay rates in comparison with their interstate colleagues remain key sticking points.
To help advise the Government on the deals, a husband and wife team from Sydney, Ian and Justine Oldmeadow, of Oldmeadow Consulting, are getting a reputed $2800 a day to oversee the Government's position. Their appointment has been confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Premier, Mr Bracks, although not the pay rate.
"It's not unusual for the Government to want the best strategic advice at times like these," she said.
Mr Oldmeadow is a former ACTU industrial officer, working on aviation issues, who became an Ansett executive in the late 1980s and then a Qantas industrial relations manager until 1997. His role is to provide strategic advice, which he has been doing at least since November.
Justine Oldmeadow, a former industrial relations commissioner, has also sat in on all negotiating sessions between the Government and the Australian Education Union going back to July last year. Ms Oldmeadow received a payout of about $185,000 in 1997 as one of the members of the IRC who was made redundant by the Howard Government to allow for a restructure that cleared the way for its own appointments.
Another consultant, David Gunzburg, was appointed by the Department of Human Services five months ago on a rate of $1500 a day. His role was to liaise between the department and hospitals about the progress of wage negotiations with the state's nurses, which are stalled over Government demands to overhaul the nurse-patient ratio and by the pay rise ceiling of 2.25 per cent.
A week ago, the Victorian Hospital Industry Association took over responsibility for paying Mr Gunzburg, who is a former BHP and Eastern Health network executive.
"I thought Mr Joyce made a clear commitment to the senate to make an appearance, and [his actions] seem to be inconsistent with that," Senator Cameron said.
"This is an issue of significant public concern, which goes to very core of the national interest and I'm sure nothing he's doing at the moment could be more important than explaining why he acted in a rogue capacity to close down Qantas and damage the Australian economy."
probably way too busy with his cockhead plan for qantas
He wants to slash 1000 jobs from the mainland, and venture into two new projects, one a low-cost offshoot based in Japan and another ''premium service'' based in south-east Asia.
Fly by: Joyce misses second inquiry grilling Kelly Burke November 23, 2011 - 2:27PM
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce ... supplied written answers to questions. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has declined the invitation to face a further grilling at tomorrow's senate inquiry, despite earlier assurances under oath that he was "happy to defend [the decision to ground the airline] and talk about it in any forum, anywhere, because it was the right call".
It is understood Mr Joyce has informed the inquiry into the Qantas Sale Act that he will not be available for further questioning now until at least February next year.
A Qantas spokesman said Mr Joyce was overseas on business but was working with the committee on dates which he could re-appear.
"Mr Joyce appeared before the Senate committee to give evidence about proposed amendments to legislation three weeks ago. He answered Senators' questions for three hours – double the time he was originally scheduled to appear," the spokesman said.
At Mr Joyce's previous appearance at the inquiry on November 4, he was subject to intense and occasionally aggressive questioning from the left-wing Labor senator Doug Cameron.
Senator Cameron said today he was extremely disappointed Mr Joyce would not be attending.
"I thought Mr Joyce made a clear commitment to the senate to make an appearance, and [his actions] seem to be inconsistent with that," Senator Cameron said.
"This is an issue of significant public concern, which goes to very core of the national interest and I'm sure nothing he's doing at the moment could be more important than explaining why he acted in a rogue capacity to close down Qantas and damage the Australian economy."
Mr Joyce had been given until midnight last night to respond to a number of questions he took on notice at the November 4 hearing.
Made public today, Mr Joyce's responses included the revelation that as many as 66 flight crews learned of the grounding mid-air, possibly after tuning into news on ABC Radio Australia.
When pilots contacted the company from their cockpits to find out what was going on, they were read out a prepared statement and told to proceed to their destination "where everything would be explained".
Mr Joyce said as many as 629 flights had been cancelled prior to the grounding, as a result of the unions' "slow bake" action over a period of months, and a further 387 flights had been delayed.
A nationwide poll of more than 1000 respondents, commissioned by the Australian and International Pilots Association and set to be released tomorrow, has found that an overwhelming majority want the federal government to move to strengthen the Qantas Sale Act.
More than two-thirds of respondents said wanted legislation to ensure that Qantas management does not act against the national interest.
The association's president, Barry Jackson said the polling numbers prove that strengthening the Qantas Sale Act was an issue Australians feel strongly about.
"In recent years, however, the public has watched successive CEOs take advantage of loopholes in the Act to outsource and offshore the operations of a proud Australian icon," Captain Jackson said.
"What this new polling demonstrates clearly is that the vast majority of Australians understand the special role Qantas has to play. They do not want rogue management teams to retain the right to treat the airline like a personal plaything."
The senate inquiry into amending the Qantas Sale Act is due to sit again tomorrow morning.
Reported previously he is to appear in February so that is a matter for the Senators to show whether it is acceptable or not.
Seems there may be a game of bluff going on, so lets see who gives ground first.
The real issue is that if February is real, then it delays the outcome whatever that may be.
One could be cynical that the Rat is not too keen to pander to this lot especially given the treatment he got last time.
However, whether it is acceptable for a CEO to put parliament down his list of priorities is another issue and I would suggest is a brave call except if the Chairmans Lounge is working.
Senator Camoron is a two bit Union hack. A scottish hack appealing to a useless welsh boss about Australia. If you want to whinge about something look at your political masters. Inept, useless and completely incompetent is only just the beginning.
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Just read this story on SMH.com.au. Reading between the lines, I reckon Joyce won't be around to face the enquiry come February. Once FWA hands down their arbitration decision, he would have done his job and be looking for the golden parachute!
The little man has been hired as a change manager. He is not there to make friends. He is there to do what was set in motion by Dixon. He is there to play hardball and see how far they can push.
Once it's done he'll be ran out of Sydney and the new face of Qantas will be there to rebuild the fragmented relationship with staff.
Behind the whole affair is Clifford, the puppeteer pulling the strings.
I bet they have not factored in a nurse style strike though. Fark FWA, fark the lot of them. It's time to take the power back.
I was wondering all along! AJ did openly say the shutdown was 'his' decision. Is AJ the patsy? Rumour has it that if the EBA's aren't settled by Feb he doesn't get the extra couple of million bonus.
AJ gets the full blame for everything, Clifford & the Board live on. Does Clifford step up???? What's needed is a complete cleanout of the Board & Chairman. The lockout has Clifford's fingerprints all over it. Given his history in the mines etc.
AJ during his actions on Sat the 29th Oct said his PR team had to fly from Mel to Syd on Virgin. Then during his next sentence he said the Chairman had to drive from Syd to Mel. AJ is just the spindoctor!
Come Feb, everyone would have forgotten about the shutdown etc by then. Sounds like they're playing everyone.
