Who will fold? Qf trying to Use its own EX staff to break strike!

[Ultralights]

Ex-Qantas engineers could break strikes

Qantas is offering its former engineers, some made redundant as little as a year ago, jobs as strike breakers with a $100,000 salary for just six months work, a union says.

The former workers were also being told they would be paid even if the strikes threatened by the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) do not eventuate, the ALAEA says.

The news comes ahead of crucial talks between the airline and the ALAEA on January 4 over a protracted pay dispute, and threats of nationwide four-hour stop work meetings from January 9 if the union's pay rise demand is not met.

An ALAEA spokesman said the airline was preparing to pay out millions of dollars to strike breakers, offering more than double pay for six months work, while denying its existing workforce a five per cent raise.

The airline has a rival offer of three per cent on the table.

"Qantas has been contacting people who were retrenched last year," ALAEA spokesman Steve Re said on Monday.

"A [engineer] mate of mine rang me up on Friday saying he had been contacted by an agency who has work in Sydney for ... $100,000 for six months.

"Then I had a phone call on our answering machine this morning from another ex-Sydney heavy maintenance employee who was retrenched last year.

"He said `I've just been offered $100,000 to work for Qantas for six months and they said they will pay even if they're not used'."

Mr Re also confirmed news reports which revealed on Monday that Qantas was scouting for aircraft engineers in New Zealand.

The airline did not deny that it was drafting an alternative engineering workforce, or the union's claims of the $100,000 salaries on offer.

"We are pursuing a variety of contingency arrangements to ensure our passengers can travel with confidence in January," a company spokesman said.

"We have nothing further to add at this stage."

Mr Re said a ballot of ALAEA members showed an overwhelming 87 per cent were in support of the phased industrial action if there was no resolution at the January 4 meeting.

It would involve up to 1,700 aircraft engineers nationwide, he said, starting with a ban on overtime when engineers would also not work outside of their normal duties.

"The [four-hour] stop works are only if Qantas takes adverse action against any of our members for partaking in that protected industrial action," Mr Re said.

The nationwide stop work meetings have the potential to temporarily ground all Qantas flights, as their jets can only take off once they have been cleared by a licensed engineer.

It threatens to be largest disruption to the nation's air travel since the 1989 pilots' strike, which threw thousands of holiday makers' plans into chaos.


who will scab it and take the cash and bugger the rest of em... ???

[pakeha-boy]

Ultra..
........there are many who will look into this offer....how seriously??? depends on many things.....one thing is for sure......some will take it....engineers are like pilots:ugh:....and we have been down that road before,......havent we :{

...lets hope(I hope) the boys here in kiwi,honour the wishes and the vote of their mates in OZ .....would be a real shame to pitch this lot against one another

[Short_Circuit]

Lockout 1500 LAME's and I think Dicko will have to announce a revised profit forecast of MINUS 40% on last year! :yuk:

Bet that will not go down well with the Investors!:=

[amos2]

In a scab situation with big bucks on offer...

scabs will fall over themselves, to earn big bucks!!

Happened in 89"...

will happen again!

[Capt Wally]

..............although I am not in favour of getting outside help to break a strike (heavens knows I ought to be 'cause I'm flying with QF right in the middle of the proposed strike) 'cause it causes long term damage. The 'scabs' as people are calling them are really just oppertunists. It's human nature to do such things, survival of the fittest. We all have some time in our lives done something for our own personal gain/advantage regardless of the impacts on others & sometimes that impact isn't obvious at the time.
Am sure the QF shareholders will only scream when & if the impact of the strike is noticed in the anual report.
I am hopeing that QF will come to some agreement with the vital guys/gals that keep a once great airline flying (I said once, their not that now to so many) to avert the strike before we all pay for it !

CW:)

[ivan ellerbai]

Paying big $$$'s to overcome a "problem": - it's worked for QF/Australian before, why wouldn't it work again? Do you think QF really care about the morality of it all - sheet no, not when there's $$$$'s involved. B*gg*r ethics, b*gg*r principles - hell, QF worships the holy $, nothing more, nothing less and they will do whatever they deem necessary to get what they want, trample on whomever gets in the way and sacrifice loyal staff in the process if it doesn't fit in with their objectives.

R'soles they are - and good at it.

[Going Boeing]

The Ex QF engineers would be well aware that loyalty is not a two way street when it comes to Dixon/Oldmeadow. If they were to assist with breaking the strike, when it was all finished they would simply be discarded (without even a letter of thanks) as their services are no longer required. Remember how Chris Corrigan discarded his strike breaking wharfies - once a deal was done with the wharfies union, the strike breakers were cast on the scrap heap.

I hope that no-one accepts the 100,000 pieces of silver and thus allow the ALAEA to have full industrial strength.

Good luck to all the LAMEs/AMEs in Oz and Merry Christmas to all

[No SAR No Details]

From Bloomberg.
Qantas Readies Plan to Avoid Passenger Disruptions (Update2)

By Gemma Daley

Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia's biggest airline, is preparing a plan to minimize flight disruptions in the face of any action by 1,700 of its engineers seeking bigger raises and an improvement in working conditions.

``We are pursuing a variety of contingency arrangements to ensure our passengers can travel and book with confidence in January,'' Kevin Brown, head of human resources at the Sydney- based carrier, said in a telephone interview today.

To combat the planned industrial action, Qantas is trying to recruit engineers in New Zealand and hire 400 others made redundant last year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported today.

Any action by Qantas' workers would coincide with an improvement in performance. The carrier earlier this month predicted record profit after flying more domestic passengers.

The company's shares have gained 5 percent since the beginning of the year compared with a 0.4 percent decline for Singapore Airlines Ltd. in the same period. They rose 7 cents, or 1.3 percent, to A$5.48 at the close on the Australian Stock Exchange, their first gain since Dec. 13.

Ban on Overtime

Qantas engineers have agreed to introduce a ban on overtime work after negotiations over pay and working conditions collapsed following 13 months of discussions. The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association wants a 5 percent annual pay increase; Qantas has offered 3 percent.

Data show Qantas employees outperformed their counterparts at Singapore Airlines, Asia's most profitable carrier. Qantas' sales per employee exceeded Singapore Airlines' by almost 10 percent in U.S. dollar terms for the most recent 12 months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Former engineers and their New Zealand counterparts have contacted the union after being offered work, union spokesman Steve Re said in an interview, adding Qantas is set to resume talks on Jan. 4.

Workers will ban overtime beginning Jan. 9 and will stop all work should Qantas intervene, Re said.

Qantas, the target of a failed buyout bid, has carried 7.1 percent more passengers this fiscal year on higher demand at its domestic and Jetstar low-fare units.

A six-month national dispute in 1989 saw the Australian Federation of Air Pilots impose a limitation to working hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during a campaign for a 29 percent pay rise. The Royal Australian Air Force stepped in to keep domestic air running smoothly.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gemma Daley in Canberra at [email protected]

Last Updated: December 24, 2007 00:23 EST

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[amos2]

So, from Jan 9th..

Qantas will have ex Qantas "scabs" stabbing the current Qantas guys in the back!

What a world we live in!

[down3gr33ns]

``We are pursuing a variety of contingency arrangements to ensure our passengers can travel and book with confidence in January,''

Pity those arrangements don't include respecting your current staff and fostering the pursuit of morale amongst your troops.

Forgive my naivity, I forgot whilst I was typing this that QF and respect for staff loyalty are mutually exclusive, as is a fair go for your employees in the pursuit of megabucks. I'm also too embarrased to mention the wisdom of management listening to the troops at the front as to what is needed, I'm sure the astute QF heirarchy give that the highest priority. Hang on, why are you all laughing????????

[Keg]

I'm not sure if QF's actions actually fit in with this statement or not:

The Qantas Group is committed to the highest possible levels of honesty and integrity in all business conduct.

Oh, that's right. This concept only applies to competition law. :ugh: :rolleyes:

[section 41]

I think tha that some people think too litle of their former colleagues, call me niaeve but I do not believe that ex-HM guys will stoop to the level of destroying the entire LAME profession to grab a quick buck.

It was suggested on another post all current LAMEs should submit their resume to the agencies in question to muddy the waters as much as possible this is a great idea, all LAMEs with the qualifications should send in their details.

[NZScion]

I wonder, can those striking all resign, then get their jobs back for $100k p.a? Or is that a pay cut?

[apache]

what pay rise did management get ??? 66% or something of that order!!!

unf**kingbelievable

[LAMEA380]

I am new to this site, but have signed up with them, call me a scab i really dont care, i have recieved regular payments and it has made a difference to my life so please keep going, NEWPORT AVIATION may well be around longer than this strike action, i am surprised our esteemed leaders at the ALAEA did not see this or anticipate this, what have they been doing.....

Resumedomain.com Client
Been doing some hunting, and my info is that resumedomain.com client is Newport Aviation Pty Limited, the Managing Director Bruce MacDonald founder and CEO of FORSTAFF , the bloke that set up Avalon. apparently he sold to Candler McCLeod a couple of years ago for a squillion...there has been some squabbling her but i think that we need to be united and not bag each other, it is important we are solid as they seem pretty serious and have the bucks to throw around

[opalops]

I'm an EX hvy LAME and it disgusts me that other EX HVY LAME"S are even considering been a SCAB if reports are right . No amount of money could entice me back
and SCAB on my friends. And if you do and I find out I will let everybody know who you are.

[skol]

Scabbing's a despicable business. I hope QF gets what's coming to them if they go ahead.

[mustafagander]

I find the audacity of QF management (if you'll pardon the expression) staggering. Last year the message to these LAMEs is "p1ss off, we don't want you!!". Now the new message is "please come back for a while and help us shaft your mates".
The lack of moral direction in QF management beggars belief. :mad:

[mavrik1]

LAMEA380 you are an example of the lowest of humanity, if you think QF will regard you in any kind of way you wrong because firstly you are a money man, no man QF likes, they like suckers.

I do not work for QF but I am ashamed of you and your actions. There are probably many of Syd heavy guys that have been called and really need the money and has been playing on there minds to go back and to jam it up the line guys for nil support in their difficult times.

But the hate for QF and their management far out weights. These guys could still go back and work next to each other and respect there differances. But I would not dare want stick them in the same room as management together, it would result in a blood bath and I know who would come out first.

If you work for QF as a union breaker you are destroying an industry even further to extent not worth while for the rest. (Especially our youth).

[FlexibleResponse]

And why should anyone assume that LAMEA380 is actually a LAME as opposed to a paid employee or other agent of QF HR?

[600ft-lb]

If LAMEA380 isn't a purposeful windup, I don't know what is. What sort of scab comes big noting themselves on a forum of Qantas staff. It's a bait if you reply you're only lowering yourselves to scabdom.

[mainwheel]

Guys, be careful.
QF has just announced a share in MAS engineering, which has the capabilities for the entire main fleet, except the B767. Singapore can do them. I think they already are.
Have a look at the bigger picture.
An ex employee would have to be a fool not to accept payment of a Ton for work he may not have to do. How rigid is the contract he would sign, as the old back has had spasms lately, sorry can't work next week.
The reality is that airlines are now looking at costs and unfortuneatly engineering comes up the worst return on the books. Put so many $million into engineering and what do you get, put double or 10 fold into it and you get the same product basicially.
Put X$million into sales or marketing and you will get X plus a % back.
The long term for aussie engineers is bleak. Not to say what is happening is right.
Future plans of heavy maintenance done offshore will in the short term appear to save money. Heavy checks will come out of budget folder A and will entitle the instigator to a huge bonus. He will most likely transfer to some other area to do his heroics there. Same aircraft that saved $$ from folder A is now U/S in various ports and causing delays and interruptions that are accounted for in folder B. And everyone knows B has nothing to do with A. The costs of B far outweighs the savings of A but no-one in accounting wants to know that. So it will never be revealed.
With this train of thought and the investment in asia only points to one scenario. All ports in australia to be considered outstations capable up to A checks. Nice and simple. Cross that last 0 from the 1500 engineers mentioned.
It has baffled me for the last 18 months why QF would advertise for guys and at the same time offer redundancies to licenced guys. Now it makes sense.

[yamaha]

good one mainwheel.

you are advocating do nothing and make the Qantas move to MAS even easier. Well done you yellow bellied SCAB.

The only chance of survival is fight you FOOL

[Tidbinbilla]

Why did we know it would degenerate to name calling :rolleyes::ugh:

Well done chaps :D