PAF how do you propose Qs Engineers solve their pay and condition issue then?
From what I can see negotiations with the company are at a standstill as Q does not wish to pay more then 3%, and the engineers want more (fair call from my perspective). They have given Q plenty of warning that the stop work and lack of overtime where going to happen and yet Q did nothing. As far as inconveniencing the public, the public have been condoning the underpayment of engineers by purchasing Q tickets. It is now biting them back and if they have issues with this then they should be prepared to pay more for their tickets to cover the TRUE cost of flying in safe and well maintained aircraft.
As far as being illegal it is up to the government of the time to set the law, and they have set out that these stop work meetings are legal.