perth qantas engineering
 

all is very quiet over there whats going on??

They do there work, we get on with operations..........

It runs smoothly

Looks like things in Perth may be about to come to a head for the LAME's. I wish them all the best but, despite the union's best intentions, they should tread carefully here if the following article is to be believed.





ABC Online

Qantas takes legal action against aircraft engineer union. 22/03/2007. ABC News Online

[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems.../s1879224.htm]


Last Update: Thursday, March 22, 2007. 9:05pm (AEDT)
Qantas takes legal action against aircraft engineer union
Qantas is taking legal action against the union representing flight engineers at Perth airport in a dispute over safe working conditions.

Qantas says the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association is acting illegally by telling its 80 Perth members to work in pairs rather than alone.

The association says it took the action because a change in roster has caused a shortage of engineers on each shift, leaving no one to answer emergency calls if there is an accident on the tarmac.

The Association's federal secretary, Stephen Purvinas, says the safety of its members is at risk.

"Quite often we see broken legs and so on, if someone slips over, we really need that emergency channel there in case one of our members is in that situation," he said.

The two parties will appear at the Federal Industrial Relations Commission tomorrow.

If this is real then no wonder your jobs get outsourced. This stuff went out with the ark.........

1DC
 

Put yourself in their shoes old mate and you might have a completely different perspective.
Their local manager presents himself as nothing short of a boofhead and has been recently in all sorts of strife with the company and the troops for behavioural faux pas'.:eek:
Secondly the General Manager who openly admits he has very little appreciation of the operational details of the areas he manages and "does not need to have one" is passing judgement and imposing rostering arrangements on the guys purely just to make the bottom line (read achieve his bonus) look better at the detriment of not only the working conditions and morale of the PER engineers but ultimately the entire Line Maintenance operation around the country, with PER being used a the "test case" or thin end of the wedge so to speak for him to achieve his ultimate goal (re-read achieve his bonus). :yuk:

This guy has a strong recent history of outsourcing for no great benefit to the company (take Jet Turbine Services for example)!!!:D

I'm sure you pilot typies would be up in arms if you had this sort ****e being rammed down your throats with little assistance from the current workplace regulations.:ok:

Bumpfoh this kind of action only highlights the old fashioned militancy which sets most of the public against you and helps the management's case.Much better to fight them with the facts..

What do Jetstar bill QF Perth for turnarounds re engineering, baggage, check in etc? Observed 8 ground crew "SERVICING" an A320 on a stand off bay during our turnaround whilst parked on bay 14. One of eight wearing a Jetstar uniform.

Re: 'the old fashioned militancy which sets most of the public against you and helps the management's case.'

and 'THey will catch up with the rest of Australia eventually.'

I think we will see what most of the public thinks about old fashioned militancy when the federal election is held. Maybe it will indicate that it's the rest of Australia that needs to catch up with the port of Perth...

Ahhhhh we have some white collar trolls in this thread.

The blokes in Perth want a fair go.

Qantas managment currently have a policy of shafting their employees through inapropriate rostering T&C's. Absolutely NO consideration given to employees personal lives whatsoever. It all comes down to saving every last dollar they can by avoiding shift penalties, allowances etc. Not fair. (Considering the obscene renumeration that Dixon & Co. keep recieving, not to mention the bonuses managers recieve for implimenting the above).

If Managment won't play fair, what are the employees to do?? Roll over and take it?? No. They take the action you see in Perth.

You got that part of the quote right. Qantas are being quite militant towards their employees, however it is the Liberal party that has seen to this happening.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Pilots are blue collar labour?

LAMEs wear white shirts, as do pilots.

I suppose "Blue collar" refers to someone that actually does something productive, so yes, I guess pilots in a sense are blue collar.

Pilots like to think of themselves as skygods but really they are just part of the hired help the same as LAMES, Hosties, bagchuckers and everyone else(they just get paid more, and rightly so!!)

But definately blue collar!!

Just to keep this post on track- How would a pilot like it if when he made a radio call there was no one there to answer him or be available for emergency support??

Maybe down the track QF cost cutting could include only having 2 pilot crews for long haul flights and only 1 pilot on the flight deck during cruise (not much really happens anyway, really...................c'mon be honest).

I don't seriously advocate this but it is something people should consider before they vilify LAMES working one out on the tarmac trying to keep old aeroplanes flying to a very tight schedule with very little in the way of support.

Maybe, just maybe, you might consider the option of working in pairs until you were confident that if you needed some emergency support for yourself (or the aircraft) that it would be available with a simple radio call.

I thought the action in Perth was safety related.

uhhhhh because as far as I know, not everyone that flies Business class is a pilot.

Pilots are productive, so they are blue collar. A white collar worker doesn't really do any physically orientated work, rather, they facilitate blue collars.

The fact of the matter here, aside from all that, is that employees are fed up with being pushed around by militant management. Qantas keeps crying poor when in fact, they are doing quite well thank you very much. First 9/11, then SARS, then oil prices. Qantas excelled whilst other airlines fell. Staff took a pay freeze. It was not JUST Dixon that got us through the "hard times", it was every employee.

So it is an insult to employees when they are being bullied and pushed around harder than ever, whilst those at the top pat themselves on the back with wads of $100 notes.

Is it justified? Depends on the shirt you wear! White or blue. (metaphorically speaking).

Employees are fed up. They are leaving at a rate higher than ever. Will this hurt Qantas? Probably not. All the more justification to ship jobs overseas. When there is nobody left to fill the vacancies, they will pull out the old sob story

"We just can't attract people to the industry".

Correct.... you can't attract half decent employees if you are not willing to pay them fairly and look after them.

Simple as that.

If you wear a "blue shirt", it's bad news. If you wear a "white shirt", here comes another bonus!

Sooooo, is it a safety issue or not?

As far as I can see... yes. it's a safety issue.

.... and we all know safety is the number one priority at Qantas. I can't understand why any manager would have a problem with this.

No Sar No Detail No Brains
 

NO SAR NO DEATAIL NO BRAINS OF COURSE IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE, AN ENGINEER WORKING ON HIS OWN WITH NO RADIO BACKUP DUE TO COMPANY CUTBACKS.wORKING ALONE WITH 200 TONS OF AEROPLANE, 3000 PSI OF HYDRAULICS, AND VOLUMES OF PNEUMATICS AND FUEL IS DANGEROUS. i ASSSUME YOU'RE ARE A PILOT?
I NEVER SEE YOU GUYS WORKING ALONE, YOU CAN'T EVEN MAKE IT TO THE AEROPLANE ON TIME WITHOUTHALF THE COMPANY HELPING TO GET YOU THERE.

I really don't see how this is turning into a battle between pilots and engineers.

The above post would make sense was it not for the dig at pilots! They are being bullied just as much as the rest of us.

BHMV
 

Precisely my point old mate.:ok: :ok:

No not a pilot. My aim was to drag the thread back to reality and show that it is not industrial action aimed at bringing down the government or Qantas.
It is not about what colour shirt you wear. It is about safety.
I think I succeeded, almost.