Future of Qantas in jeopardy: Joyce
May 26, 2011 - 10:24PM .
AAP
The future of Qantas as an international carrier is in jeopardy, the airline's CEO Alan Joyce says.
Fair Work Australia on Thursday approved a ballot allowing long-haul pilots to vote on taking industrial action for the first time in 45 years.
"The continued claim that they are going to take industrial action ... is an attempt at further damaging the brand," Mr Joyce told the ABC's 7.30 program on Thursday.
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"Unfortunately, this is the way some of these rogue union leaders think."
The pilot's demands, which include wage increases - with the Australia and International Pilots Association (AIPA) pushing for a rise of two-and-a-half per cent over three years - would result in job cuts, Mr Joyce said.
"They are demands the company cannot agree to and they are demands that will result in job losses in this company," he said.
Mr Joyce labelled both the engineers' and pilots' union leaders as "rogues" who the company was "going to have to stand up to".
Qantas puts the cost of the demands at more than $300 million but the pilots' association says the figure is more like $90 million.
"There are certain demands I cannot concede to because it will endanger the survival of the company," Mr Joyce said.
"Our international business is losing money, our international business, if these demands are met, will go back even further."
© 2011 AAP