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Ansett prepares for liquidation. .AAP. .27feb02
THE Victorian head of Ansett's major union said the airline was preparing for liquidation, but operations would continue until early next week.
Australian Services Union (ASU) state secretary Martin Foley said flights would continue as the government set up a taskforce to ensure the smooth wind-down of Ansett, and to ensure passengers who had brought tickets for the Melbourne Grand Prix, Sydney Gay Mardi Gras and CHOGM in Queensland would not be left stranded.
Mr Foley was at Ansett headquarters in Melbourne early this morning talking to distraught staff.
Three thousand jobs had been lost and Tesna principals Solomon Lew and Lindsay Fox would have some questions to answer, Mr Foley said.
"People are terribly traumatised by this," he said.
"There is very high emotion, people's hopes were raised only to have them knocked back at the 11-1/2th hour.
"People to been to hell and back in the past five months.
"Many have knocked back other job offers (in the hope that Ansett Mark II would get up and running)."
Mr Foley said unions were now working with administrators for an orderly wind-down and to maximise assets.
He said the ASU would be willing to cooperate with anyone including Toll Holdings (formerly Patricks) owned by Chris Corrigan who put an offer to administrators last November and who has had an ongoing with unions since the waterfront dispute.
Mr Foley said unions had not heard from Mr Corrigan this morning but could not speak for administrators.
"Our goal is to maximise the value of assets ... whoever pays the best price," he said.
He said the federal government would also have questions to answer in not playing a greater part in ensuring the Tesna sale went through.