Imperial Shifter,
Maybe I have my head up my backside but I believe the industry will come full circle and Heavy Maint. will have a future in Aus. But I'm not holding my breath....and the scenario that drives that change could be horrific!
This moment will come and go. As difficult as it is right now, the irony is that "the powers that be" will start re-hiring in a couple of years.
"The needs of business" dictate everything, and even if managers can't see what strategy is best, it always ends up that they make too many staff redundant and realize their mistake too late.
I have said before in my posts that I have seen this many times before in this and other industries and each time I scratch my head to try to understand what it is the managers are doing.
The simple answer is "the cost of doing business must come down".
The argument is HOW this should be done and that has been discussed at length in this forum.
The way to deal with this is to understand that this is a cycle, and if it is a given that Qantas will get through this and remain intact as the national carrier, then it's just a matter of time.
In the meantime, those that lose their jobs find something else to earn a dollar to get by, and invariably, will find themselves back in the industry when things turn around.
I truly wish that things could be different, but it won't be as I have said.
But will it be horrific? Probably not, if history repeats itself.
There will be opportunities when re-hiring starts, and with the right credentials, you can find yourself in line for re-training in aircraft types.
Not all bad.