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-   -   Merged: Qantas Engineers Set to Strike (https://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific/325578-merged-qantas-engineers-set-strike.html)

lambsie 13th May 2008 06:40

Whilst I wholeheartedly support your claims, and as a QF employee I am well aware of how poorly we are treated by management, may I please ask that you be reasonable about the delays. Having just experienced a two hour go slow late at night, it was then up to me to go fast, stay alert at 2am and conduct a VOR approach, to then get a 10 hour rest before charging off again. There were better targets that night. My 'problem' was very very minor, yet paperwork bogged us down far in excess of what was reasonable.

Happy to help, but I've got a job to do too.

Short_Circuit 13th May 2008 07:00

There are no targets.

We are doing our job professionally & safely

just NO overtime, thats all.

The amount of O/T required to be done to keep sched is dangerous.

NAS1801 13th May 2008 07:16

Guten Tag Flugbegleiter! Good to see that you and your colleagues are eager to do their part in helping the cause! We must door beer things when I am in your part of the country next!

4Greens 13th May 2008 08:27

Am about to travel on another overseas airline that has QF contract line maintenance for turn round etc. Will the expected action carry across? In other words will there be delays?

Capt Kremin 13th May 2008 08:51

Jakethemuss has it correct. What I believe we will see in the next few weeks (Geoff, are you listening?) will be a quiet grass roots revolt from a long suffering staff who are absolutely itching to show what passes for management in this company how they really feel about the bullying, harassing, lying, grasping culture that has developed under the stewardship of this CEO.

Geoff, you have no idea what you are up against.

speedbirdhouse 13th May 2008 08:55

Great post Capt Kremin.

So very true.............

employes perspective 13th May 2008 08:58

kinda makes me wish i was still there now,just so i could stick it to these d!ickhead managers,i will be watching from the sidelines with a big smile on my face

Turbo 5B 13th May 2008 12:19

E.P why not come with me and do another walk around the Sydney Domestic Terminal during peak hour.
"Pay peanuts.........get Monkeys"
(I think I can still borrow the gorilla mask)

We helped you Geoff when times were tough.............Now it's 1.5 Billion and it's TIME TO PAY

indamiddle 13th May 2008 12:36

those bloody drains keep blocking up!... again and again

splashman 13th May 2008 13:01

To All
 
I am an ex QF LAME, who left QF for other reasons than the EBA, I have not voted nor have I had any input, I am living a happy life outside of QF, QF is not my employer.

To all the people who work for QF and think this action is unreasonable, will you, at your next EBA accept 3%, if the ALAEA is successful in its claims.

Time is great, I can just hear it now,

"How can we accept 3% when the Engineers won 5%"

Pls give a bit of credit for the guys and girls who, after many years of dominance by a powerful company, have stood up for themselves.

81% of Engineers have voted to take on QF, no other group of employees have, the flow on effect will be for all. If the Engineers win, is not a precidence set for every other group of employees within QF when it comes to future EBA's.?

Stick with them, play the game, if they lose nobody wins

l

employes perspective 13th May 2008 21:05

turbo 5b,i don't think the mask would fit you,and this time we can watch from the sidelines as GD,DC ans MH get a right royal screwing.
P.S and i ain't no monkey anymore i've turned into a gorilla.:):):)

Pool Noodle 13th May 2008 21:36

To All
 
A SCENIC DRIVE THRU QF MAINT HANGARS EARLY THIS MORNING SHOULD HAVE QF MANAGEMENT WORRIED AND THE PARTY HASNT EVEN STARTED:ok:

Big Unit 13th May 2008 23:21


A SCENIC DRIVE THRU QF MAINT HANGARS EARLY THIS MORNING SHOULD HAVE QF MANAGEMENT WORRIED AND THE PARTY HASNT EVEN STARTED:ok:
Mate, I have worked at QF for many years and the base workload for today is the biggest I have ever seen. Special mention must go to the sparkies and cabbo's.
Also noticed good old geoff's pay went from approx 5.2million to 6.7million last year. Now my math isnt perfect but does that not equal a 30% increase.
GD - If you are reading this, you have no idea what you have just done.

Pool Noodle 14th May 2008 00:05

Headkicking
 
Thanks Big Unit For Gd's Pay Profile,its Been Mentioned In The Press That Gd "hasnt Met A Head He Hasnt Liked To Kick",well In All The Years Ive Worked At Qf I Havent Seen Him On The Shop Floor,and Im Sure If He Seen My Ugly Melon He Would Be In "boots And All"

Big Unit 14th May 2008 00:16

For Clarity
 
GD - If you are reading this, you have no idea what you have just done.

Anulus Filler 14th May 2008 00:50

Big Unit = Big Writing

teresa green 14th May 2008 04:10

Cjam with all respect I would hardly call Aircraft Engineers "blue collar workers" They are highly trained Engineers, and I have nothing but respect for them. (As do most pilots). In my early flying I was seconded out to various jobs including Royal Flying Doctor Service, Airial Surveys, Air Ambulance etc, and this happened quite often for pilots in TAA depending on what happened in the economy at the time. Often based in some godforsaken outpost with the Engineer for company I learnt a lot from them, in fact I would now probably be extremely dead, if it had not been for one of them in particular. (I won't bore you with the details) anyway good luck fellas, you deserve everything you get. And I hope its a motza.

CaptainSouth 14th May 2008 09:18

Go men !!!! Good luck and I will be interested to see how it pans out tomorrow as I negotiate the domestic network. As one pissed off pilot, you have my total support.

stubby jumbo 14th May 2008 11:15

QGFT
 
Apparently there were a number of long term employees with Flight Training punted this morning-VR/CR.?

The "usual" reason given, ie "your position has now been reviewed and now no longer required in this business......going forward"

OH PLEEEEZE !

Where do these goons from HR get off with this line. We're talking once loyal staff who have have an accumulated 87 years of service !!

There's a great line in the movie -Network when Peter Finch yells from the window:

I'M AS MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE !!!

Good Luck guys:ok:

ozbiggles 14th May 2008 12:10

I can only imagine at a board meeting if the board gave itself only 3%.
You go boys and girls, stand tall. You can't do any worse then what the Flight attendants did/got for people who follow on behind them.
I see some real courage here.

The_King 14th May 2008 12:40

OK Then Everyone…. Time to hit the change rooms and start warming up.
It’s nearly “Game Time”.

Remember everyone, play hard… and if that doesn’t work, fight dirty.

ALAEA Fed Sec 14th May 2008 13:26

Guys and gals 40 mins to go before it starrts. Good luck and thnx for support so far. I hear there was some posts earlier that were not too savory but remember that we are LAMEs and the job we do is professional and just maintain that and all will be ok. cheers Steve............

The cougar 14th May 2008 14:44

Heard that the board had an emergency meeting today, looks like they underestimated the LAME's ability. Looking forward to seeing a lot of pathetic management heads roll. MH has had a golden run till now, looks like his high cost LAME's has cost him dearly!

flystraight 14th May 2008 15:19

Emergency Board Meeting
 
If true,maybe they opened pandora's box.

flystraight 14th May 2008 15:41

Spam and safety are related.
 
Safety.
Procedures.
All other.
Management.

Anything else is a compromise.

The_King 14th May 2008 16:03

Did anyone see on the news a couple of months ago (during the air traffic controllers dispute) that 1 day all the controllers rang in sick on the same day. Wow. What ever happened with that?

Sunfish 14th May 2008 21:27

Qantas' strike breakers
 
From The Age today:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...764953588.html




Qantas' strike breakers


Ben Schneiders
May 15, 2008


QANTAS has devised a secret plan to smash the influence of a powerful airline union, with strike breakers being offered $100,000 for just six months work as aircraft engineers.

The radical plan has come to light on the eve of industrial action by engineers that threatens to bring major disruption to domestic flight schedules from tomorrow.

In a dramatic escalation of an already bitter dispute, Qantas has been quietly recruiting non-union engineers in Asia and the Pacific to act as strike breakers, The Age has learned................................

............................................................ ..................................

The contracts for six months or less offer about $2300 a week to work as aircraft engineers, plus a $40,000 "completion bonus". If paid in full, the strike breakers would receive about $100,000 for six months — double the average rate for an engineer, according to the union.

Union national secretary Steve Purvinas said he expected his members to be "locked out" as a result — as dock workers were in the waterfront dispute. He said Qantas planned to use an alternative workforce of about 100 people to replace the existing 1500 engineers.

Engineers have significant industrial power, as planes are not allowed to fly without their authorisation.

Mr Purvinas said Qantas had been offering contracts to former staff, including many based in Malaysia, since around Christmas. Some had been approached up to a dozen times, he said.

Qantas chief Geoff Dixon last night refused to confirm or deny whether the airline was training strike breakers. "They are our business, our contingencies, they're not for media or anyone else (to know)," he said.

............................................................ ....

The dispute centres on the union's demand for a 5%-a-year pay rise. Mr Dixon has said he will not budge from 3%.


Mr Purvinas said the 3% offer failed to match the rising cost of living. The airline says the union reneged on an earlier agreement for pay rises of that amount.

Mr Dixon said this week the airline would not negotiate on its wage policy, which limits pay rises to 3% a year. But Mr Purvinas said the contracts showed that Qantas wanted to break engineers' "culture of commitment to safety", a claim rejected by Mr Dixon.

Qantas has a history of tension with unions. In a recent interview with The Australian Financial Review, Mr Dixon nominated IR as a key issue in his final year running the airline. "The management of this company has contributed far more to its wellbeing and success than any bloody union has," he said.

"It is very important for unions to understand that it's more than just representing your people for a couple of per cent — it is really the long-term future of the industry."

............................................................ ...............................

With MATHEW MURPHY, ANDREW WEST, SCOTT ROCHFORT

There seems to be a sort of inversion going on here that is rather strange and unsettling about the statement highlighted in bold, attributed to Mr. Dixon, from a management perspective.

The contribution of the Board and Senior Management of Qantas to the wellbeing of the company is the making of sound long term decisions, usually with a time horizon of Five to Ten years or longer when it comes, for example, to the choice of aircraft.


The contribution of Pilots, Cabin Crew and Engineers to the company is the making of sound day to day decisions as they deliver the companys' product to its customers.

Yet here we have Mr. Dixon apparently imploring the Engineers to take a long term view of the future of the industry.

I also note that the management of Qantas, including apparently Mr. Dixon, appears to be remunerated with annual bonuses.

This, to me, appears to be a simple inversion of time horizons, with management focussing on short term annual bonus driven decision making, while at the same time telling its workforce to take the long view and not worry too much about their terms and conditions today. This is just plain dumb.

Alternatively, if the Engineers did actually take "a long term view" of the industry's future, noting that their pay and conditions have been going backwards since the pay freezes of 9/11, and the continual carping from the Board about Qantas being a "legacy airline" and other doom laden pronouncements, they would have walked. if not run, away from the industry by now.

Perhaps the Qantas Board and management should focus on the big long term picture and encourage suitably remunerated employees to focus on day to day matters, rather than bleakly worrying about how their wages are being outstripped by inflation every year.

A. Le Rhone 14th May 2008 22:48

Qantas has a history of tension with unions. In a recent interview with The Australian Financial Review, Mr Dixon nominated IR as a key issue in his final year running the airline. "The management of this company has contributed far more to its wellbeing and success than any bloody union has," he said.
"It is very important for unions to understand that it's more than just representing your people for a couple of per cent — it is really the long-term future of the industry."
----------
Except of course when it comes to Dixon's own salary which has increased by > 50%. Hypocracy at its worst.

Good for you guys. Personally I think you're worth well more than 5% (and I'm not a LAME).

Capt Wally 14th May 2008 23:28

........we have a golden opertunity here with the engineers, they can with some personal cost show to the likes of GD that a Co is made up of PEOPLE, not a 'bottom line'!:bored: Like a tumor, he can be physically removed but it's the after effects that linger on. Get well soon QF we outside of the engineering business are thinking of you guys/gals right now:ok:
Life without risk is not life at all.

CW

arkmark 15th May 2008 01:09

It's About Time
 
Dear Engineers,

ITS ABOUT TIME YOU STOOD UP AND ASKED FOR WHAT YOU DESERVE.

YOUR WAGES HAVE BEEN ERODED BY OVER YEARS, AND NOW IT'S AN EMPLOYEES MARKET IT IS TIME TO TAKE BACK THE GROUND YOU HAVE LOST OVE SO LONG.

NO ENGINEER SHOULD BE WORKING FOR LESS THAN $170k FOR THE LEVEL OF SKILL AND RESPONSIBILITY THAT YOU CARRY.

5% IS NOT ENOUGH - A COLLEAGUE OF MINE JUST GAVE ONE OF HIS SALES STAFF IN PERTH A $30k PAY RISE IN A SINGLE HIT JUST TO RETAIN THE GUY.

I AM FLYING TOMORROW AND IF I AM DELAYED, AS A CUSTOMER, I WILL BE LETTING QANTAS KNOW AS BEST I CAN THAT I SUPPORT YOU TOTALLY.

Ex FSO GRIFFO 15th May 2008 01:58

Nah! Its not the money...apparently.(?)

From today's 'West Aust' (PH), page 1 no less....

"QANTAS has secret plan for strike breakers'.
Then goes on to say Qantas has devised a plan to smash the influence of a powerful trade union with strike breakers being offerred $100,000 for just six months work as aircraft engineers.

It goes on to say that the airline has been 'quietly offering contracts to strike breakers at least since mid-January, documents reveal.'

Aircraft engineers chasing a 5%/year pay rise - '...Geoff Dixon has said he will not budge from a 3% / year offer...'

Further down.....
....'Sydney labour hire firm, Newport Aviation'.....
offers contracts for six months or less,....
'about $2300/week and dangle a $40,000 "completion bonus".
This equates to about double the average.......

What more can an 'interested' SLF say??
:ugh::ugh:

Teal 15th May 2008 02:30


The dispute centres on the union's demand for a 5%-a-year pay rise. Mr Dixon has said he will not budge from 3%.
Someone should point out to the former bean counter (Dixon) that the average Australian wage moved by 4.8% for the year ended March 2008. (Source: ABS) 5% seems very reasonable.

http://news.theage.com.au/business/a...0515-2ei9.html

I wonder how much his own remuneration package has moved in recent years...? Then again, if I was on his package, I could probably just get by without a few annual increases.:hmm:

A. Le Rhone 15th May 2008 02:38

Here's an idea Mr Dixon. Why not just pay the current loyal engineers what you are prepared to pay the unknown scabs? Clearly, as QF are now offering this salary, you must believe it to be the industry norm.

100k for 6m or 200k for 12m. Perhaps as a sign of goodwill, the current engineers might like to offer themselves to QF an even more attractive salary deal for the airline, say $199 /year.

Problem solved.

Bit more than a 5% rise but you guys are worth it.

Short_Circuit 15th May 2008 02:46

Teal
 

I wonder how much his own remuneration package has moved in recent years...?
From a previous post

good old geoff's pay went from approx 5.2million to 6.7million last year. Now my math isnt perfect but does that not equal a 30% increase.

rudderless1 15th May 2008 02:54

Nor does it include bonuses!
Less than 50% of Dixon's pay would satisfy the difference between what they are offering 1600 LAME's.
He would still get all his bonus!:ok:

Toolpants 15th May 2008 03:19

From the Australian website:
QANTAS engineers have backed down from planned industrial action, indicating they will accept a smaller increase in their wage demand.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow has asked the union to call off its four-hour stop-work meeting planned for tomorrow afternoon, which would have caused Qantas to cancel a number of domestic flights.
She said the engineers would be willing to accept a rise somewhere in between the 5 per cent they demanded and the 3 per cent Qantas had continued to offer over the previous 18 months of failed wage negotiations.

Fed Sec. SP. Remember we want 5% in our pockets before we call it off!

Torqueman 15th May 2008 03:21

Don't worry about what Sharan Burrow's got to say. She doesn't have a vote in the EBA.....This is most likely pressure from the Rudd government.

Fed Sec, keep up the good work. Don't let the team down.

Teal 15th May 2008 03:25

The latest ABS figures (out today) show that Australian wages have increased by 4.8% for the year ended March 2008.

http://news.theage.com.au/business/a...0515-2ei9.html

A 5% claim by QF engineers would seem very reasonable and fair.:D

excellr8 15th May 2008 03:26

"The management of this company has contributed far more to its wellbeing and success than any bloody union has," he said.

Maybe I'm quoting out of context or maybe he's just in another orbital, but if that's the case maybe all of QF's employee's can stop work and Dicko and Co can clean the planes, turn them around, fix them, fuel them, cater them, feed the pax and fly them etc!

If they can do all that then they certainly do deserve all the bonus's they receive which is sure as sh!t more than 3%

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

wanty 15th May 2008 03:43

"She doesn't have a vote in the EBA"

This is not an EBA

An EBA involves negotiation on both sides.

Follow PPM and AMM 110%

This alone will win us our 5%

Aircraft on the ground don't earn money.


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