Skypatrol
28th Feb 2006, 01:37
Qantas shift hurts safety image: poll
Steve Creedy
February 27, 2006
QANTAS'S reputation for safety could take a battering if it defies popular opinion and moves at least 2500 heavy maintenance jobs overseas, a survey has found.
With the airline poised to announce a decision on its long-haul maintenance work as early as this week, the threat of industrial action has been heightened by what unions say is a surprising degree of support for a campaign to keep the work at home.
Several federal ministers and the federal Opposition have urged the airline to keep the work in Australia after the Howard Government's decision last week to protect Qantas from competition from Singapore Airlines on its lucrative US routes.
The union-commissioned Morgan poll of 656 people across Australia found 87per cent of those aged 14 and over preferred to have the long-haul maintenance facilities in Australia.
Only 10 per cent approved of it going offshore. Almost nine out of 10 said they would support a union campaign to keep the jobs in Australia.
On the safety question, three-quarters of respondents said the standard of maintenance in Australia was higher than overseas, and 77per cent believed a plane maintained here was safer.
The results suggest Qantas would struggle to maintain the perception that it is one of the safest airlines if it shifted work overseas.
Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten, who commissioned the poll, said he was surprised by the response.
"Clearly, there is a strong view that Qantas should have Australian-based operations and what they would do if they sent the work overseas is take a hit on their loyalty," he said.
Mr Shorten said Qantas management often used the airline's national carrier status when lobbying government, but the research showed it would need to keep the jobs in this country if it wanted to preserve its "spirit of Australia" status.
He said a non-union pollster conducted the survey to ensure its credibility. The union also wanted to separate the issue from enterprise bargaining negotiations under way with Qantas.
"We went for a conservative pollster ... If Qantas is a flexible organisation they will have to listen to it," Mr Shorten said.
Union executives are particularly encouraged by the public support for a union campaign to stop the jobs going offshore, with 85per cent of Coalition voters also supporting the move. Disapproval of any move to send jobs overseas topped 80per cent among ALP and Coalition voters, as well as non-union households. Government intervention received less support -- 69 per cent.
On the question of Qantas's motives for the move, 83per cent believed it was a cost-cutting exercise and six in 10 said Qantas wanted to head overseas to avoid dealing with unions.
Only 30per cent agreed with Qantas chief Geoff Dixon's claim that the airline would be forced to make the move to remain internationally competitive.
A week after the federal Government resolved to keep Singapore Airlines locked out of the Pacific route, the Morgan poll showed two-thirds of Australians believed overseas carriers should be allowed to fly directly between Australia and the US.
Steve Creedy
February 27, 2006
QANTAS'S reputation for safety could take a battering if it defies popular opinion and moves at least 2500 heavy maintenance jobs overseas, a survey has found.
With the airline poised to announce a decision on its long-haul maintenance work as early as this week, the threat of industrial action has been heightened by what unions say is a surprising degree of support for a campaign to keep the work at home.
Several federal ministers and the federal Opposition have urged the airline to keep the work in Australia after the Howard Government's decision last week to protect Qantas from competition from Singapore Airlines on its lucrative US routes.
The union-commissioned Morgan poll of 656 people across Australia found 87per cent of those aged 14 and over preferred to have the long-haul maintenance facilities in Australia.
Only 10 per cent approved of it going offshore. Almost nine out of 10 said they would support a union campaign to keep the jobs in Australia.
On the safety question, three-quarters of respondents said the standard of maintenance in Australia was higher than overseas, and 77per cent believed a plane maintained here was safer.
The results suggest Qantas would struggle to maintain the perception that it is one of the safest airlines if it shifted work overseas.
Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten, who commissioned the poll, said he was surprised by the response.
"Clearly, there is a strong view that Qantas should have Australian-based operations and what they would do if they sent the work overseas is take a hit on their loyalty," he said.
Mr Shorten said Qantas management often used the airline's national carrier status when lobbying government, but the research showed it would need to keep the jobs in this country if it wanted to preserve its "spirit of Australia" status.
He said a non-union pollster conducted the survey to ensure its credibility. The union also wanted to separate the issue from enterprise bargaining negotiations under way with Qantas.
"We went for a conservative pollster ... If Qantas is a flexible organisation they will have to listen to it," Mr Shorten said.
Union executives are particularly encouraged by the public support for a union campaign to stop the jobs going offshore, with 85per cent of Coalition voters also supporting the move. Disapproval of any move to send jobs overseas topped 80per cent among ALP and Coalition voters, as well as non-union households. Government intervention received less support -- 69 per cent.
On the question of Qantas's motives for the move, 83per cent believed it was a cost-cutting exercise and six in 10 said Qantas wanted to head overseas to avoid dealing with unions.
Only 30per cent agreed with Qantas chief Geoff Dixon's claim that the airline would be forced to make the move to remain internationally competitive.
A week after the federal Government resolved to keep Singapore Airlines locked out of the Pacific route, the Morgan poll showed two-thirds of Australians believed overseas carriers should be allowed to fly directly between Australia and the US.