Qf LAME EBA Negotiations Begin
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Jethro..........
As I read the FS post, this "action" is more of a legal technicality rather then something designed to cripple the company.
You may recall that on the previous action El Presidente had to stop work for one hour to, as they say, start the ball rolling.
Reading what FS said I think this may be along similar lines.
ST
As I read the FS post, this "action" is more of a legal technicality rather then something designed to cripple the company.
You may recall that on the previous action El Presidente had to stop work for one hour to, as they say, start the ball rolling.
Reading what FS said I think this may be along similar lines.
ST
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Fetch me a left handed screwdriver....
It sounds likes someone's having joke but Qantas engineers are vowing to use screwdrivers and spanners with their left hand only as part of an ongoing industrial dispute with the airline.
It is unclear if left-handed people will be asked to use their right hand.
Apart from that they'll also stop work for one minute at 10am on Friday.
The Aircraft Engineers' Assocation's original plans were disrupted by the grounding of Tiger Airways and now Federal Secretary Steve Purvinas says under the Fair Work Act they need to act otherwise they'll have to have another ballot of members.
Olivia Wirth for Qantas says although it sounds flippant it's actually quite serious.
It is unclear if left-handed people will be asked to use their right hand.
Apart from that they'll also stop work for one minute at 10am on Friday.
The Aircraft Engineers' Assocation's original plans were disrupted by the grounding of Tiger Airways and now Federal Secretary Steve Purvinas says under the Fair Work Act they need to act otherwise they'll have to have another ballot of members.
Olivia Wirth for Qantas says although it sounds flippant it's actually quite serious.
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Reading the blogs and comments around the place it seems that the "Left-handed" tactic is not going down very well at all with the public.
A quick retraction of that one may be appropriate ??
ST
A quick retraction of that one may be appropriate ??
ST
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From the Herald Sun
Qantas engineers to use only their left hands in latest strike action | Herald Sun
Screws loose, mmmmm....
Qantas engineers to use only their left hands in latest strike action | Herald Sun
AIRCRAFT engineers will resort to left-handed tactics in their union's latest battle with Qantas.
Qantas faces industrial action from aircraft engineers which includes a pledge by two veteran right-handed union members, Melbourne's Wesley Bell and Vinko Vulin from Perth, to try to maintain the airline’s planes by using their left hand only on screwdrivers, spanners and other tools.
The engineers’ union has notified Qantas that action to commence from late this week includes the action by the two maintenance engineers.
About 1600 Qantas engineers, who are demanding the airline guarantee maintenance jobs won't be shifted overseas, will also hold a minute's stop-work on Friday.
Engineers will remain silent in tribute to defunct airline Ansett, which they claim was a victim of poor management decisions.
Start of sidebar.
The Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association explained today that the moves were industrial tactics necessary to keep their campaign for wage rises and job protection alive, but Qantas is not seeing any humour in the situation.
Union secretary Steve Purvinas said today the left-handed action would be confined to two members of the union’s executive, who could choose when and where they would do their job using only their left hand.
“They’re both very good engineers,” he said today.
“I imagine they’d probably be good with their left hands.”
It was an action to which would not disrupt the wider travelling public, still struggling to get holiday flights after the suspension of Tiger services.
Mr Purvinas explained that union members had voted for industrial action under the Fair Work Act which gave the union leadership a variety of options including strikes and various bans.
But to avoid another strike vote some action had to be taken within 30 days and both the left-handed work and the one-minute strike were ways of technically meeting the Act’s requirements without causing massive disruption.
Mr Bell, the union's vice-president, works on Qantas line maintenance at Tullamarine and said he was confident he could do his job left-handed from time to time.
"I'm very handy with my left hand, for 30 years in this industry i've been handy with either - i'm naturally right handed," he said.
"You can work a screwdriver with both hands.
"I don't see any problems with safety and the name of this game is to take an action which won't disrupt the passengers."
Qantas was not amused.
“We don’t want this to become a safety issue,” a Qantas spokeswoman said.
“Its actually quite serious, I know it sounds flippant. Its ongoing action by the union but we’ll be looking into it because we don’t want there to be any screws loose.”
Qantas says the union do not have to take any token action to extend their right to act beyond 30 days, instead being able to ask Fair Work Australia for an extension.
The ALAEA and Qantas have been locked in talks for months over the new enterprise agreement, which included a planned strike by engineers at the start of the school holidays which the union called off at the last minute.
Qantas faces industrial action from aircraft engineers which includes a pledge by two veteran right-handed union members, Melbourne's Wesley Bell and Vinko Vulin from Perth, to try to maintain the airline’s planes by using their left hand only on screwdrivers, spanners and other tools.
The engineers’ union has notified Qantas that action to commence from late this week includes the action by the two maintenance engineers.
About 1600 Qantas engineers, who are demanding the airline guarantee maintenance jobs won't be shifted overseas, will also hold a minute's stop-work on Friday.
Engineers will remain silent in tribute to defunct airline Ansett, which they claim was a victim of poor management decisions.
Start of sidebar.
The Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association explained today that the moves were industrial tactics necessary to keep their campaign for wage rises and job protection alive, but Qantas is not seeing any humour in the situation.
Union secretary Steve Purvinas said today the left-handed action would be confined to two members of the union’s executive, who could choose when and where they would do their job using only their left hand.
“They’re both very good engineers,” he said today.
“I imagine they’d probably be good with their left hands.”
It was an action to which would not disrupt the wider travelling public, still struggling to get holiday flights after the suspension of Tiger services.
Mr Purvinas explained that union members had voted for industrial action under the Fair Work Act which gave the union leadership a variety of options including strikes and various bans.
But to avoid another strike vote some action had to be taken within 30 days and both the left-handed work and the one-minute strike were ways of technically meeting the Act’s requirements without causing massive disruption.
Mr Bell, the union's vice-president, works on Qantas line maintenance at Tullamarine and said he was confident he could do his job left-handed from time to time.
"I'm very handy with my left hand, for 30 years in this industry i've been handy with either - i'm naturally right handed," he said.
"You can work a screwdriver with both hands.
"I don't see any problems with safety and the name of this game is to take an action which won't disrupt the passengers."
Qantas was not amused.
“We don’t want this to become a safety issue,” a Qantas spokeswoman said.
“Its actually quite serious, I know it sounds flippant. Its ongoing action by the union but we’ll be looking into it because we don’t want there to be any screws loose.”
Qantas says the union do not have to take any token action to extend their right to act beyond 30 days, instead being able to ask Fair Work Australia for an extension.
The ALAEA and Qantas have been locked in talks for months over the new enterprise agreement, which included a planned strike by engineers at the start of the school holidays which the union called off at the last minute.
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Re the interview on 3AW this morning the program hosts were laughing before and even more after it and got no good will from the QF spokes model at all on putting off PIA .
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Fed Sec
Plenty of media / FB & Twitter comments like the comments on this article ...............
Qantas engineers to use only their left hands in latest strike action | Herald Sun
ST
Qantas engineers to use only their left hands in latest strike action | Herald Sun
ST
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oh dear poor Olivia sounded so out of touch that she couldnt even offer a friendly laugh. Somebody pls put her out of her misery!!!!
A great tactic and again showed Q Management as a bunch of out of touch liars - maybe one day the little bloke can crawl out from under his wallet to face the public!
AT
Oh for any journos some more key questions - this time for Olivia: (feel free to add) - Unless she can answer yes then the overiding question is How do you know and why should the wider public believe you?
A great tactic and again showed Q Management as a bunch of out of touch liars - maybe one day the little bloke can crawl out from under his wallet to face the public!
AT
Oh for any journos some more key questions - this time for Olivia: (feel free to add) - Unless she can answer yes then the overiding question is How do you know and why should the wider public believe you?
- Have you ever been on the flight deck and watched and listened as the pilots handle a busy approach in bad weather?
- Have you ever spent a few hours watching an engineer trying to rectify a defect on a clapped out, 20 year old rebirthed plane?
- Have you ever had a close look at how parts and components are processed and documented?
- Have you ever had to feed 14 first class passengers when there's only enough catering for 7 and do a 20 hour shift before getting off the aircraft?
- Have you ever spent a few hours with the CC's as they deal with drunk or upset passengers angry at QF Management's blind bastardry or as they sit stuck in less quality hotels far away from their kids and loved ones because oflast minute planning by QF?
- Have you ever spent a night in a freezing cold hangar in Melbourne as engineers scrimp parts from other aircraft because cutbacks have left nil parts and nil time and the a/c is desperately needed on-line in 5 hours?
- Have you ever asked our wives and kids how invasive and bullying QF are? - especially when it comes to pulling people in on weekends, days off
- When was the last time you sat in the middle economy seat in the back row while on company business?
- Do you really understand that a low hour pilot from a third world country just does not have the experience
- You spruik 'safety first' but have you ever tracked a safety issue through the SMS? Do you even know what events are reportable to Regulators and what are not?
I'm 100% in support of the LAMES cause and think the Union is doing a great job. But the latest action is not going down too well with the public. The average person will not read between the lines and will just think this is a silly tactic. Read the comments from the articles on News LTD and Fairfax sites. Not too positive...
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middleman ,i here what you say about the News Limited media, however
I am not sure it would really matter what we did.
Call me a cynic, but I think that they will put the slant on any story that suits the agenda of the owner and there " sponsors".
You will probably find that just like Channel 9 they get well looked after by qantas and would not put that cosy arrangement in jeopardy.
PS I think ! min stop work is a great tactic.
I am not sure it would really matter what we did.
Call me a cynic, but I think that they will put the slant on any story that suits the agenda of the owner and there " sponsors".
You will probably find that just like Channel 9 they get well looked after by qantas and would not put that cosy arrangement in jeopardy.
PS I think ! min stop work is a great tactic.