Protect Australian Jobs? Not!
I keep hearing this crap about supporting Qantas "to protect Australian jobs". This is crap.
Qantas and successive Australian Governments have no compunction whatsoever about offshoring Australian jobs at the first opportunity and also of replacing Australian workers under the 457 visa provision.
The only reason any Australian working for Qantas has a job is that the company has yet to find a way of substituting a cheap foreign replacement for you.
Over time you will be replaced, count on it. You have no career prospects. The Board and senior management have demonstrated their hatred of their workforce many times.
If you want to see how the ultimate business model looks, travel on a Carnival cruise lines vessel:
- The entire workforce is selected so no ethnic group prevails - "divide and rule".
- there is a "black gang" of poorly paid and clothed indians who do the maintenance and heavy cleaning. They are forbidden to be anywhere near the passengers, you only see them if you get up early and go looking.
- The "Front of house" people speak English. They are drawn from developing countries, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. They look the part but know nothing about anything outside the ship. They are very poorly paid.
- All staff are employed through agencies on short term contracts lasting about Ten Cruises. At the end of each cruise about Ten percent of crew are replaced as their contracts have expired. The staff never know if their contract will be renewed. In this environment Unionism is virtually impossible. As for the women crew members, they are replaced by prettier girls when they age.
I could see exactly the same strategy employed at Qantas.
Last edited by Sunfish; 20th Jun 2014 at 20:47.