What needs to be understood, is that this sort of talk by Joyce & Clifford is deliberate.
By demonising the workforce in the media, and misrepresenting the truth about the current profitability of the Qantas international operation Joyce is seeking to deepen the current crisis to allow justification for further restructuring and offshoring.
A tactic attempted on numerous occasions in the US after deregulation in the 1970's - most notably by Frank Lorenzo at Eastern.
The problem is that this tactic has never worked. So much damage is inflicted on the brand that customers simply do not return.
Joyce has been quoted on multiple occasions that his business philosophy is that 'crisis equals opportunity". By misrepresenting the true financial position of the company, by bad mouthing his staff and product in order to drive the share price down further into the take over zone, Joyce is seeking to obscure blame for years of chronic mismanagement.
Im of the opinion that regardless, nothing can save Qantas mainline now. The real tragedy is that the staff are going to be blamed for its demise instead of the real culprits.