Hear what you are saying Mohikan. It's correct that this dispute has nothing to do about pay and conditions, considering the 20% productivity gain AIPA is supposedly presenting to Qantas.
It's a mechanism to deliver an ideology that the ultra right wing has been wanting for a very long time. Unfortunately, for them, the truth that what they have done, and are doing, is the greatest threat to qantas' existence.
Example, yesterday, in some newspapers, Qantas ran ads proclaiming the great benefits and appeal of the A380 and then went onto to say that is why they are reconfiguring 744s with the true flat bed business seats. It was an interesting admission. On the one hand the ad suggested that the A380 is apparently a winner, (and load factors on the A380 would suggest this) but they (the qantas board) then defer 6 A380s for introduction. Why is that?
We know the real reason is the money that was going to be put aside for the A380s is going to be used to fund the 110 A320neos. Thus enabling the shift offshore of a large amount of capital that should have been utilised to continue the build up of the A380 fleet.
Why does qantas want to present the information in this way? Because it's another smokescreen to steer people, read investors, away from the truth. The gameplan in Asia is a big gamble. They are gambling with money leveraged from Qantas to try and create these ventures. The corporate structure of these entities along with the financial setup for the purchase, lease and operation of the aircraft in Asia requires a very stringent analysis. Some would say forensic analysis.
But this current industrial sideshow does nothing to help fix the qantas business. It provides cover for the failing of the qantas board. Qantas is an Australian Airline. It has completely lost focus of that ideal during the last ten years. Qantas employees don't want a payrise, they want a future. They want Qantas to thrive. They don't want this stoush, the board do.