Qf LAME EBA Negotiations Begin
Hang onto your hats folks, looks like this could be 2008 all over again if, after day 1, the only words QF management can muster during negotiations is NO.
The following is the EBA update #1 email sent out to all QF LAME's from QF management.
Interesting times ahead.............
Dear all,
As you are aware, the LAME EBA negotiations have commenced.
The first negotiation meeting took place today between representatives from Qantas and representatives from the ALAEA. Representatives from Qantas were Gavin Harris, Keith Clark, Douglas Mills, Sue Bussell, Annie Schmidt, and Ian Oldmeadow. Steve Purvinas, Paul Cousins, Mark Gant, Wayne Vasta, Michael Weitenberg, Wes Bell, Brett Bradbury and Vinko Vulin represented the ALAEA.
Gareth Evans, Chief Financial Officer, attended the meeting and presented a balanced view of the major challenges facing the company. Some of these include the need to increase our profitability to successfully fund our ongoing fleet upgrade and to remain competitive against some extremely fierce competition.
During the meeting, the ALAEA verbally put forward a very extensive ambit claim, which so far does not include a wage claim.
A large number of these claims are simply unachievable for Qantas, and to implement them would have a serious impact on the long-term viability of Qantas Engineering as a whole. We made these concerns known to the ALAEA during the meeting.
We want to conduct these negotiations in a timely manner that results in a fair and equitable outcome for employees and ensures the long-term sustainability of Qantas Engineering.
Regards,
Gavin and Keith