There are a few points that I think are relevant....
This is basically strike breakers version II....
It does not cost much if anything in the scheme of things to register a company on paper and play one of the oldest game in the books.The sky will fall if you don't Bend Over.....
Is it just me or is this one of the best contradictions from Dixon I have heard.
At Qantas' annual meeting last week, Mr Dixon said: "As we become more and more a global company, we will also need the flexibility to source more jobs offshore as part of a mix that will provide the platform for long-term jobs growth and sustainability within Australia."
As far as I know QF has always been a global company as it's main job is an international airline.
Let me see if I understand Dixon....To protect Australian jobs we need to hire more people overseas.....WTF...
Qantas also has crew bases in London and Bangkok, and the union-negotiated cap which restricts Qantas to employing 870 foreign crew has been rendered obsolete because of the WorkChoices laws.
What happens then if Rudd wins and removes Work Choices?
Does this then mean that the EBA is enforceable and the company cannot legally increase the overseas bases more than the current limit of 870?
I think TBar is right and it might be time to play hard ball with the company.
This is especially after this news item this morning on the profitability of the company.....
QANTAS and Virgin Blue are on track for record profits due to a rising exchange rate offsetting much of the profit drag caused by higher than expected fuel costs.
Global broking firm Merrill Lynch has upgraded its full year profit forecasts for both airlines.
Clients of the firm were told last week that with each 1 per cent rise in the Australian dollar would, the Qantas profit could rise 2 per cent.
"All other things being equal, if we assume the AUD/USD average parity for the 2008 financial year, this would raise our forecast by 30 per cent, " Merrill's noted as the Aussie continued to trade strongly against the Greenback.
Merrill's gave Virgin Blue a similarly bullish report card, saying that like Qantas, it too would report a better than expected outcome with a 25 per cent improvement in after tax profit.
"Like Qantas, if we were to assume the AUD/USD moves to parity we would be looking at a further 32 per increase in our 2008 financial year forecast," the broker noted.