This is a disturbing move by Qantas. Lets not forget this is not a move by AJ, this is a move that would have been sanctioned by the Board who seem to have given AJ full backing.
Unfortuantly this also seems to be quite a brilliant strategic move, it has caught the unions off guard and seems destined to end in the termination of all industrial action and the whole thing referred to binding arbitration which will likely result in Qantas being authorised to do whatever the hell it wants with the future outsourcing of the business. I would think that AJ and the Board would consider the bad publicity and $50 million bucks a bargain to get that.
As an aside Jetconnect and Jetstar are getting really 'positive' press over here in New Zealand for being subsidiaries that aren't heavily unionised and therefore are not inconveniencing passengers with old style union action
Good luck guys and girls, looks to me though that the unions have been 'flanked' in this battle.