Qantas Maintenance Job Cuts on Hold.

[Woomera]

Qantas told to suspend plan to cut jobs

News.com.au Thursday Apr 13 19:24 AEST

The Australian Industrial Relations Commission has directed Qantas to suspend any plans to cut its workforce for at least a month.

In an order released on Thursday, the AIRC issued directives for the airline to provide documents and consult with workers before terminating jobs at its Sydney Airport maintenance plant.

The company has been given until May 12 to take the necessary action.

On March 9, Qantas announced it would cut 480 jobs with the closure of the Sydney B747 maintenance operations in May.

The work is to be shifted to its Victorian facilities, with the airline saying staff redeployment could reduce the number of job losses to about 340 if workers transferred from Sydney.

AMWU national secretary Doug Cameron said the directive would put an end to processes the airline already had in train to sack Sydney workers.

Mr Cameron said the airline now had to sit down and discuss whether the sackings were valid and could be avoided.

"This clearly shows Qantas did not follow a proper and equitable process when it arbitrarily announced that 480 jobs would go last month," Mr Cameron said.

"It stops Qantas taking steps to terminate employees until processes of proper consultation and disclosures of documentation are undertaken by the company.

"They were well down the path and they must stop doing that."

Mr Cameron said the directive was an obstacle to Qantas "as it goes down the path of cut-price maintenance".

"This is significant victory for our members and it's a significant victory for the Australian public because the best thing we can do is maintain every possible job we can in Australia," he said.

"These are highly skilled and very important jobs that provide Qantas with its reputation for reliability and safety."

Executive general manager of Qantas Engineering, David Cox, said Qantas had never sought to get rid of Australian jobs.

"The decision Qantas made in March was about keeping heavy maintenance operations and jobs in Australia," Mr Cox said.

"We have consulted with the unions to this point and we are very confident of our decision and the robustness of the process we have been through.

"We will provide the unions with additional information and we will continue to consult as we have been asked to do."

A lawyer acting for the AMWU and the Australian Workers Union said that while the AIRC ruling was welcome, workers would not be given the same opportunities to question their employers' decisions under the federal government's new Work Choices laws.

Anne Gooley, of Maurice Blackburn Cashman, said making people redundant and removing their livelihoods "is the most significant and distressing decision a big company can make over its workers".

"It is only reasonable for workers and unions to have their right to get proper information and be consulted about these decisions in a decent and humane way," Ms Gooley said.

"The real shame of this decision is that under the new Work Choices regime, workers would not be given this opportunity."

Insomniac Woomera (Eastern States)

[numbskull]

Well I finally bit the bullet and decided to take voluntary redundancy from this downward spiralling industry. Management have squeezed every aspect of the job(A/C ground time reduced, more work scheduled, less spare parts available, very little training or career paths for anyone).

The unions have stood by and watched it all happen. We were told by company and union alike that we should accept pay rises less than CPI or wage freezes while giving up massive productvity increases. Indeed we were "lucky to have a job"

Indeed the only certainty I have had in the last 5 years was that I would made redundant once I submitted the form.

The union only now gets off there a#$e and tries to do something about it. They are only delaying the inevitable and adding more uncertanties into peoples lives.

[Buster Hyman]

Good luck with your future prospects numbskull. Its a big world out there, but there is life after aviation!:ok:

[Apophis]

Qantas spokesperson has already been on news radio today basicly saying we don,t care we are going ahead with our plan.:cool:

[AEROMEDIC]

I don't think I've ever seen anything positive posted by you in this forum. It seems that you have some sort of "axe to grind". SYD HM was always going to close since Airports had targetted their need for more space for the terminals. As for Avalon, there is lots of reason for optimism and going forward with the amount of work to be done there. Support facilities and stores are being reviewed for big changes (as I have been told) and should result in more jobs.
You'll find something negative to say about that, but that's to be expected. Get a life.

[Apophis]

I don't think I've ever seen anything positive posted by you in this forum. It seems that you have some sort of "axe to grind". SYD HM was always going to close since Airports had targetted their need for more space for the terminals. As for Avalon, there is lots of reason for optimism and going forward with the amount of work to be done there. Support facilities and stores are being reviewed for big changes (as I have been told) and should result in more jobs.
You'll find something negative to say about that, but that's to be expected. Get a life.
Support facilities and stores are being reviewed for big changes (as I have been told) and should result in more jobs.
They having been saying that for years even had plans drawn up and all came to nothing people on the floor in the workshops have been promised the world in improving facilities and got bugger all except more work to push through small shops.

[the shaman]

for avalon to have any chance of meeting cost saving targets in 2008 they will need to rapidly upgrade there meagre facilities without a minute to spare. To do that they are going to need some very competent and experienced people who can make decisions and make things happen quickley... such peolple are in short supply these days , don't like their chances but good luck to them anyway.

Hey Aeromedic if you are so confident that Avalon is a 'go ahead place' then why the hell has there been virtually no upgradew to H5 and H6 since 1998 yet more work and deeper maintenance has been scheduled in there year afetr year....??

[AEROMEDIC]

It's true to say things need to happen now, but there's no reason NOT to be optimistic about Avalon as this is the best chance yet for that place to do well.
This time, the need to improve facilities and support is being driven by a review time line, more work and more employees.
I also see it as a last chance for all, including Forstaff, because if nothing is done to get morale and the will to "do the best job first time", then all work will disappear overseas.
Both companies AND the employees have to co-operate to make it happen. There's too much at stake to ignore what must be done.

[the shaman]

Aeromedic - I can appreciate your idealistic point of view mate,,,,,, but when a highley skilled LAME is paid a lousy 25 bucks an hour by Forstaff there is not much incentive to make things happen quick..

FYI just heard today rumour of another fine stuff up from geelong way... ie EBW landing in SYD with one set of leading edge flaps asymetrically deployed due torque tube coupling adrift (what happened to that independent inspection).

don't mean to be cynical but just realistic.... Australian wide body aircraft maintenance industry is in crisis.. and the people who may be able to help in the rescue no longer care or have any commitment.. they are to busy sweating over there own jobs.

so long as they get a fat paycheck every time they go to hong kong , sinagapore , or shanghai to accept the aircraft out of heavy maintenance they will not give a sh!t.

[webber1]

You might like to add to that OJD #4 L MED flying round since last june with the eps actuating chain ripped off the door body torque tube because it apears that the botle had been fired with the door in the closed position. A new bottle had been fitted but no inspection carried out after the bottle had been fired. Result... an aircraft flying round with no emergency power system. And because a new bottle had been fitted most inspections in between major checks are to check reservoir pressure only.

[AEROMEDIC]

Yeah, heard about EBW. Not a rumour though. Bad news travels fastest. I'm sure more details will soon surface.
As for LAMEs at Forstaff, they get paid the same rates as Qantas for what ratings they have, except they haven't moved up as high as the long term Qantas LAMEs and their EBA only covers 2 a/c. The average rate is still ordinary . But you're right to say "moonlighting " in SE asian countries doesn't help the situation in OZ. I'm an ex-long term Qantas employee, so cynicism is something I lived with for a long time. No worries! :)
Aeromedic - I can appreciate your idealistic point of view mate,,,,,, but when a highley skilled LAME is paid a lousy 25 bucks an hour by Forstaff there is not much incentive to make things happen quick..

FYI just heard today rumour of another fine stuff up from geelong way... ie EBW landing in SYD with one set of leading edge flaps asymetrically deployed due torque tube coupling adrift (what happened to that independent inspection).

don't mean to be cynical but just realistic.... Australian wide body aircraft maintenance industry is in crisis.. and the people who may be able to help in the rescue no longer care or have any commitment.. they are to busy sweating over there own jobs.

so long as they get a fat paycheck every time they go to hong kong , sinagapore , or shanghai to accept the aircraft out of heavy maintenance they will not give a sh!t.

[Redstone]

You might like to add to that OJD #4 L MED flying round since last june with the eps actuating chain ripped off the door body torque tube because it apears that the botle had been fired with the door in the closed position. A new bottle had been fitted but no inspection carried out after the bottle had been fired. Result... an aircraft flying round with no emergency power system. And because a new bottle had been fitted most inspections in between major checks are to check reservoir pressure only.


Lack of experience and system knowledge. Perhaps there is a problem with supervision, whether it be lack there of or pressure from same to just produce cost rather than quality.

[webber1]

Lack of experience and system knowledge. Perhaps there is a problem with supervision, whether it be lack there of or pressure from same to just produce cost rather than quality.

All it takes is to read the Maintenance Manual. It's not rocket science.
Safety the bottle, disconnect the pressure line and it wont go off.
If it does, look at everything. If the supervision doesn't stress to the individual after an incident like that to look at the chain etc then the supervision is too busy to protect the`travelling public.

[Redstone]

No webber 1 it's not rocket science, not for someone with an intimate knowledge of the system and 20 years experience. How many other latent errors do you think could be circulating out there? As for supervision....... my point exactly.

[webber1]

You shouldn't need intimate knowledge of a system to treat a pressurized gas bottle with the respect it deserves.

[Redstone]

Well apparently some do.

[webber1]

The latest on Job Cuts on Hold. Job cuts are on hold for the AWU/AMWU but not for the ALAEA members.
Commissioner Rafaelli has rules that as the Alaea has never considered avalon as outsourcing before they cant start now and in fact had tried to increase their membership numbers there after the March 9 announcement, and in respect to the aircraft going o/s , they must go because otherwise they will be forced to stay on the ground and that is not in QFs best interests. And also as the alaea had asked that members that want to leave should still be able to the commissioner ruled that you cant have your cake and eat it too. ie if qf want to force you out they still can.
Good job fellas. thanks.
Thanks for setting up avalon for us.

[The masked goatrider]

"Thanks for setting up avalon for us."


That's OK. Forstaff paid us $250,000 a year for setting it up and we have put that to fantastic use for our members.

-We gave the Industrial Officers an extra wage rise to keep them on.
-We had some nice dinners.
-We sued one of our members who was unhappy about us giving the airline the thumbs up to cut numbers of LAMEs transitting aircraft.
-We kept some aside to make sure the right people got re-elected.
-We attended some valuable conferences overseas.
-We gave the Ex Ansett Federal Secretary a job when he lost his.
-We upgraded the franking machine.


So as you can see the option of allowing the airline to keep the jobs in Australia has been a win win result for our members. Thank god the conservative, experienced approach we have taken in the past has borne fruits for all our membership. :ok:

[webber1]

Oh well if you put it like that it's a good thing then.
I shall have to put my sarcasm back in it's box.

[BHMvictim]

-We had some nice dinners.


Don't you mean the federal executive and some officials had some nice dinners?

The ALAEA officials made the Avalon cake, now it's time for the ALAEA to eat......but they don't like the taste! They are hopless cooks, so members, kick them out of the kitchen!:ok: