QANTAS: The Thread II
 

The following is a cut and paste from the D&G forum.
It illustrates a situation where an airline attacks it's own operational staff in an effort to force them from their jobs.

IS it a "window" into the situation now facing those of us at QANTAS????

If so it is a VERY dangerous ploy to use on the FRONTLINE staff of a FULL SERVICE carrier like ours.

I'm not going anywhere, anytime as I have a mortgage and a family to feed but the more I am kicked, bullied, intimidated and harrassed by my "management team" the MORE determined I will be to RESIST their efforts, WHATEVER THEY ARE, at EVERY LEVEL.

Food for thought for those of us at the rat?
---------------


Revealed: Aer Lingus 'quit or be pushed' plan
From Irish Independent:
(need to be registered)
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independ...&issue_id=12759

AER Lingus developed a 12-point plan to make life difficult for its employees in order to persuade 1,800 staff to accept voluntary redundancy.

The plan included:

* Suggesting the airline would introduce a tacky uniform for cabin crew.

* Tedious training programmes for some pilots.

* Deliberately changing shift patterns to make life at the company uncomfortable.

According to one informed source there was also a suggestion that cabin crew, including older air hostesses, would have to abandon their current uniform for jumpsuits and t-shirts.

The total plan is documented in a confidential Aer Lingus report called "Business Plan - HR (Human Resources) strategy 2004".

The 12 initiatives designed to make life difficult for staff are referred to in the documents as "environmental push factors".

A spokeswoman for the company acknowledged that the document had been drawn up by Aer Lingus but dismissed it as a "discussion document". She said: "Those tactics have never been embraced by either the past or present management team."

Nowhere in the 40-page report is there any suggestion that it is a draft or discussion paper.

It states that initiatives to make life uncomfortable for staff were essential to the success of the voluntary severance scheme which was, in turn, essential for the success of the business plan.

The report states: "Environment (sic) push factors are key to driving applications (for the voluntary severance scheme)". The document then details the 12 "push factors".

Top of the list is: " 'Tap on the shoulder' of all relevant superintendents." This is understood to be a reference to 200 supervisor-grade employees who were individually approached by senior management and told they had no future with the company.

The second "push" factor listed calls for performance improvement plans. Sources said these were designed to put staff under pressure at work. The third push factor listed is "attendance management".

One of the more controversial initiatives in the plan comes in at number four and is titled "adverse changes in work/shift patterns". Adverse shift changes would make life at Aer Lingus particularly difficult for employees with families.

The fifth of the strategies outlined is "called lack of availability of IWSL". This is a reference to "In Week Special Leave" which gives cabin crew the option of flexible working arrangements.

The ninth "push factor" is called "assignment to resource centre". It is understood this initiative was aimed at surplus pilots who would be assigned to the centre, known by some staff as 'Guantanemo Bay', where they would spend weeks on training modules which, according to one source, were considered by pilots to be boring and tedious.

A number of the 12 points have already been implemented. These include number 10, "no transport", which is a reference to the abolition of the special bus which ferried cabin crew working unsociable shifts to and from airport car parks.

Other initiatives include "closure/reduction of bases", "significantly reduced overtime" and "working contracted hours".

The HR strategy also deals with plans to reduce employment levels by outsourcing services such as catering and cleaning. Under the terms of an EU regulation written in to Irish law, the 1977 Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment (TUPE), the new contractor is obliged re-employ existing staff.

According to the report the way to avoid transfers is to make TUPE offers "unattractive". It states: "An 'unattractive' TUPE offer will give surplus staff the option to transfer to new service provider with no exit package, reduced pension rights and lessened security of employment."

Tom McEnaney

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not a dull moment
 

as i mentioned many month ago GD is having a great time at the "toaster". until now. given that the board has recently been not too happy with various parts of the business (AO, jetstar asia, qf catering, LHR base, some associated businesses) , madam jackson has been tapping GD on the shoulder. i think the time frame has been set for next year when peter gregg will take over. as always we will be still here watch out office guys/girls, you are as allways first in the firing line. dont take on any big mortgages is my advise. peter being a specialist in risk management can and will see that there are too many chiefs and not enough indians.
also the new transport minister with his comments in the australian regarding qf being sydney centric has more then a good point. with BNE and MEL having few red tails on the international departures he is effectively given notice to qf and madam jackson.

And maybe now, finally, we will again see the demise of an ex crewmember turned traitor.
Lee Peterson was the architect and manager who set up the London base.

She used to be crew; shame, shame, shame on you.
But at least she did dig her own grave....

:O

Just what the company needs...an accountant who looks at everything as a number..

Accountants are advisers, I remember the distinction well they record the result of decisions made by others. They count they don't decide..

It just gets better and better:uhoh:

Apparently,no one has been stood down,although crew have been searched.
It is amazing how many people have been spreading that text message about 32 crew being stood down,rumours spread fast in this business.
I wonder where JBM is,at breakfast the other day in Brisbane , I overheard a family talking about their VirginBlue flight and the husband said that it would have been easier to win Lotto than get the attention from the crew on board.So maybe they are good at face painting but not so good at the basic reason they are there.

"It is amazing how many people have been spreading that text message about 32 crew being stood down,rumours spread fast in this business."


I recieved the message from 7 seperate people.
These messages were sent in an effort to protect me and the hundreds/thousands of others who recieved them from our own management's attack.

A perfect illustration of the posionous level of mistrust CC have for the visitors on the ground.

Is management at Qantas so bereft of creative and constructive ideas for the business that all they can do is level attack after attack after attack at it's own ???

What a sad, negative and pathetic way to run a business.

Hundreds of crew searched it seems and not a single count of theft found ??

Its obvious that the thieves at Qantas are further up the food chain.

They are the ones ripping the heart out of the business in an effort to line their own pockets.

The London base is in a shambles at the moment. 3 crew have been arrested for drunken behaviour and ended up in a Bangkok jail. 2 have been released, 1 still remains there. Another LHR crew member was completely intoxicated in Singapore and was sick in the hotel lobby in front of hotel guest and management. Reports still coming in of aircraft left in a disgraceful state after sectors, Thai based crew being used to cover massive amounts of sick leave and people leaving. Little wonder passengers are leaving in droves to Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

Total Crap
 

Bad Adventures another total crap story.

I was in BKK, one person was detained for a very minor incident and it is over now. Not 3 people as there was a group on a night out and one had a misunderstanding so much that you would not even get a caution back home. Lets put it down to cultural differances.

LHR base is going to start to feed back every little bit of "nit pick" from now on. It's a joke, evertime something is not done on a hand over to me I just let it go because it's not that big of a deal but 2 can play that game from now on. I could write a list from every trip but never bother as it can be fixed so easly by just understanding other people have work to do.

This thread should be changed to I hate everything because I'am so bitter. It's the same old heads, check out the LHR results at the next roadshow. Please don't make me laugh that the board is unhappy with GD. He is the golden child even the second coming of JC.

Trust me, turn your hate into a positive and now stories about other airlines are being joined in on the qantas thread to make your pathetic stories more appealing in your hate campaign.

I'am still waiting for the base closure notice that was offical 6 weeks ago according to the thread nazis.

Peanut Pusher
If they didn't complain we wouldn't have a thread!!!!!

I see SMH is saying Jetstar Asia has taken over Valuair.

Peanut Pusher,

Cause and effect.............

Peanut Pusher,Now I have heard it all,GD is the next JC!!!!!

I knew that there are alot of QF sycophants out there but you take the cake with that one and of course we all believe what the company roadshows say don't we!!!!!

Hold on ,there is that formation of pigs flying past again

minor incident
 

peanut pusher is stealing a minor incident? you have been writing and reading too many bu**s**t stories in your office.
why did a team of management go to london? sightseeing? i dont think so

Peanut Pusher,

While we are talking about the LHR base and that you are one of those on the inside will you EVER confirm or deny that there is an hour limitation that is lower than the 240 hour mark that the base was calculated on?

or are you going to keep dodging this question????

valueair and jetstar asia to merge by years end. according to sin straites times reports it going to be called orange star. ken ryan is still going to be ceo.

Meanwhile that is another $40 million dollars we have had to spend to prop up Jetstar Asia to make the deal appealing.

I wonder if that will have an effect on JC's sorry GD's bonus

Now there's an ugly thought,GD in drag!!!!

Guys I have just started my training with Qantas UK and all I can say is that everyone in my course and all the trainers are great. Almosrt everyone in my course has very good experience and we are looking forward to work for Qantas and give our best. Please lets be positive and encourage those who have just started in UK. It is not our fault and there is no point in bitching about each other. I am not English or Australian but I can represent Qantas like the best. We had to go through a very hard selection process so it means that they havent chosen just anyone. I havent had the chance to talk to anyone who is already working for Qantas UK. There are a few questions I would like to ask you because I am bit shy to ask in class. How much money do you normally get in your bank account after tax? And how much do you get cash per day when you are on a night stop? Are you enjoying it? Did it meet your expectations?

Cheers

Yes... I know what some of you are thinking... but he/she is young, keen and happy and we were all like that once! Be gentle, pretty please ;)

Camaron
Welcome to QF.
Things like after tax pay and allowances are probably best left to a quiet chat with colleagues in the back galley.
Also I am not LHR based so couldn't give accurate amount.
Am I enjoying “the job”? After more than 25 years…hell yes.
Did it live up to my expectations? Yes and no. It has changed a lot in those times and I have had to learn to role with the punches/changes. But the fun I have had on board, in slip ports and at home have made up for it.
Enjoy