IPEC, East-West, Australian (TAA), Ansett..QANTAS, next to go?
Like skittles in a row, is QANTAS now in the crosshairs?
The last fully unionised airline left in Australia - QANTAS - now seems fairly squarely placed in the current Aussie Government's (Conservative) bullsesye to receive a direct target hit in the short term.
With the dull consent of the TWU, and the QANTAS pilots' union (AIPA - pronounced ape-ah) Geoff Dixon has forged ahead in setting up "low cost" (read, "work more for less") subsidiaries that have wittingly been agreed to by the incumbent employee union representatives, whilst training outright strikebreaking cabin and ground staff in Asia (Bangkok) and the US (California).
Theoritically, these strikebreakers were being held in the wings...so to speak... in the event of a full on strike, however as this didn't eventuate, they are now being trickle-fed into the QANTAS system anyway.
A win/win situation for Mr Dixon, and all done with the full consent of the incumbent Liberals.
As the last real bastion of unionism in Australia's transport industry, QANTAS is the sole remaining cherry left to be picked of the 5 original airlines.
Virgin Blue employees work under conditions markedly different to their ACTU/TWU QANTAS conterparts, and which have seen Virgin Blue able to mount a serious challenge to the outdated work practices of the TWU-controlled QANTAS staffers.
Dixon has progressively subjugated QANTAS so that if one section were to be adversely affected, the others are able to operate on a "stand alone" base, and later regroup.
Will QANTAS employees mount a final "Euraka Stockade" type stand,?@or is it already a Fait Accompli?