IPEC, East-West, Australian (TAA), Ansett..QANTAS, next to go?

[Kaptin M]

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to their ACTU/TWU QANTAS conterparts, and which have seen Virgin Blue able to mount a serious challenge to the outdated work practices of the TWU-controlled QANTAS staffers.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?

[Chronic Snoozer]

And what, pray tell, are the alternatives? The line has been drawn in the sand, remember...

[SOPS]

Line in the sand???? I see no line...................

[Chronic Snoozer]

QANTAS DOMESTIC LINE IN THE SAND (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=99934)

My original comment was an observation, no malice intended.

[dirtylittlefokker]

"Blue Skies, Nothing But Blue Skies, Fom Now On"

Now who sang that?:ok:

[DJ737]

Err...Willie Nelson?

Cheers
The Roo Rooter :E

[Wizofoz]

Here now!!

If Virgin continued flying and profited by a strike from Qantas, why that would make their pilots... Now what was that word again???

[Desert Digger]

No it wouldn't Wiz.
Do you want it spelled out?

[Cactus Jack]

For those of you who aren't aware, Kaptin is a chronic '89er. He is making waves here in order to push is own adgenda of unionisation.

Kap, give it a break, for everyone's sake.

[Kaptin M]

What a load of cactus juice, Cactus Jack.
What possible reason could I have for advancing an agenda of "unionisation" - by which union, prey tell?
However, if by "unionisation" you are referring to the employees' right to not be subjected to unfair treatment by an employer, then yes - I am concerned with that!

From a distant view, it appears to me that QANTAS management's plans to remove the representative rights of its workers, and to then destroy current working conditions are far further advanced, and moving much faster, than many of us thought.
QANTAS is in the process of breaking its flying up - Australian has to date taken away some of the international routes, and Dixon has announced that he will set up a new domestic "budget airline" on the superficial grounds that it will compete with Virgin Blue on an operating cost basis "equal to, or lower than VB", and probably operating 737's. Say "Bye Bye" to those current, high 737 salaries!

QF is being broken up into several "stand alone" sections - in this case "stand alone" will mean precisely that, as each section is stripped, one by one, of full time employees and casual replacement workers employed.

I might begin to believe that some of this is for the good of QANTAS, the company, if the likes of Mr Dixon and Ms Jackson were to declare they were willing to foego their multi-million dollar bonuses. Somehow I reckon that's about as likely as Wizofoz' name being removed from the scab list!

"She'll be right mate".

[bitter balance]

Kaptin M, the 12 part time employees QF employed which started this current brawl were not OS trained and were apparently members of the TWU. I have no doubt that QF would use their OS trained workforce but they aren't using it yet.

Also, Dixon et al did declare they wouldn't be taking their bonuses several months back. I suppose we'll wait and see.

[Sub-Sonic MB]

Get ready for the fun boys and girls.
If you think you are not in the firing line, especially at QF, dream on!

[Cactus Jack]

Geez. Well that being the case, and upon the Kapt's clever advice, lets ALL go on strike!

Didn't learn in 89, did you Kap?

[Kaptin M]

Learn what, young cactus?
That if all FOUR airlines take on their workforce that THEY will become CACTUS?
That if they decide to employ sc*b replacement labour - rather than negotiate - it will send them BANKRUPT?
That if there is a REAL reason for the employees pulling the pin as a signal of frustration, that by simply holding the POWER might not necessarily be enough to win the fight?
That being a "scab" doesn't guarantee one anything more than "short term" employment ("short term" being a relative definition).

And that ALL going on strike IS a final resort tactic of many employees.
Quite simply, it is not something that is used frivolously, but rather indicates that negotiations between employer and employee have reached a "last ditch" phase.

And btw, CJ, there was NEVER a strike in 1989.
Ask Bob now, before the opportunity is lost forever!

[Cactus Jack]

Go and take a valium, Kap. Your temples are throbbing! Is that what happened in '89?

[Kaptin M]

How green was my Cactus
Even the media saw through Cactus Jack and his lemmings.

"He who fights and moves away, lives to fight another day".

Yes CJ, my temples are throbbing! :ok:

Only this time I'm watching the fight from afar.
Unfortunately I think that Oldwhatisname has already got 'em kicked.
But only with the help of his missus......again!!
Pity that Lennie couldn've been there to help out too to keep it Coysher! Girls, girls, girls - the downfall of many a man, eh RJ?

[wessex19]

they say "who dares wins", the bloke who first suggested this obviously wasn't a pilot!!:yuk: